Welcome to Unsheltered Conversations, HomeAid America’s podcast where we explore stories of homelessness, hope, and the change we can build together.
This special episode revisits HomeAid’s origins in 1989, its national expansion in the 1990s, the personal and professional journeys of its early leaders, and how those foundations shaped the HomeAid of today. The conversation also looks ahead to 2026 and beyond: expansion, evolving needs, and the future of national impact.
Featuring:
• Scott Larson, CEO, HomeAid America
• Mike Lennon, Founding Executive Director of HomeAid Orange County (1989) and CEO of HomeAid America (1995–2006)
• Gina Cunningham, Executive Director, HomeAid Orange County | Los Angeles
Welcome to Unsheltered Conversations, HomeAid America’s podcast where we explore stories of homelessness, hope, and the change we can build together.
In this episode, Scott Larson sits down with Donald Whitehead to explore the origins, meaning, and action-oriented purpose behind Homeless Persons’ Memorial Day. The conversation will reflect on how communities across the country commemorate lives lost to homelessness, the role of the building/housing industry in honoring this day, and what can be done to prevent future deaths. The episode aims to shift from mourning to mission and calling the audience to remember and act.
https://nationalhomeless.org/homeless-persons-memorial-day/
Welcome to Unsheltered Conversations, HomeAid America’s podcast where we explore stories of homelessness, hope, and the change we can build together.
In this episode, Amber Celmer shares an extraordinary personal and professional journey: growing up in foster care, surviving trauma and instability, rising into leadership in the building/housing industry, and now directing HomeAid Sacramento toward projects like The Grove cabin community for youth exiting foster care.
Listeners will hear how personal experience drives her commitment to dignified housing and gain insight into how building‐industry resources can be marshaled to deliver life-changing results for transitional youth.
Welcome to Unsheltered Conversations, HomeAid America’s podcast where we explore stories of homelessness, hope, and the change we can build together.
This Veterans Day, we honor the men and women who served our country, and we shine a light on the work being done to ensure every veteran has a place to call home.
On a single night in 2024, just under 33,000 veterans were experiencing homelessness in the United States, a number that’s down more than 55% since 2010, thanks to programs that combine compassion with construction.
Today, we’ll explore a remarkable model in Minnesota: The Veterans Village and Housing for Heroes initiatives which have been innovative collaborations between HomeAid’s affiliate, the Housing First Minnesota Foundation, Lennar and the Minnesota Assistance Council for Veterans, better known as MACV. These projects combine design, compassion, and service to ensure that no veteran is left without a home.
Joining me today are: Sofia Humphries from Housing First Minnesota Foundation and as we refer to as HomeAid Minnesota, Jeremy Larson, a member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors, and Jon Lovald, Chief Operations Officer with MACV.
Together, we’ll talk about what these projects mean, the partnerships that made them possible including long-time industry partners like Lennar and the Lennar Foundation and how Minnesota’s success can help shape veteran housing nationwide.
Welcome to Unsheltered Conversations, HomeAid America’s podcast where we explore stories of homelessness, hope, and the change we can build together.
As we enter Homelessness Awareness Month, we’re leaning into this year’s theme: Someone You Know. Because the truth is, homelessness isn’t just about strangers on the street, it often touches closer than we realize. It’s about our neighbors, our coworkers, our friends, and yes, sometimes even our own families.
Hosted by Scott Larson, today's episode features Carole Brady, Executive Director of HomeAid Houston. Before leading HomeAid, Carole spent nearly 20 years with Family Promise, walking alongside families experiencing homelessness. But this episode isn’t just about her professional journey. Carole is a survivor of domestic violence, and she’s also a mother who has walked the heartbreaking road of having a son who battled addiction and lived on and off the streets.
It’s a story that’s courageous, raw, and painfully real but also one filled with love, resilience, and hope.
Welcome to Unsheltered Conversations, HomeAid America’s podcast where we explore stories of homelessness, hope, and the change we can build together.
Hosted by Scott Larson, today's episode features Brian Peterson, an artist, community builder, and the visionary behind Faces of Santa Ana, that became Faces of Mankind. From designing cars at Kia to painting portraits on the streets and now large-scale murals, Brian has turned art into a tool of connection, dignity, and justice.
We’ll talk about how a single portrait started a movement, how murals and public art can heal, and how visible love can change what ‘home’ means. Brian, thanks so much for joining me today.
Welcome to Unsheltered Conversations, the podcastfrom HomeAid America where we take a deeper look at the human stories, systemic issues, and bold solutions shaping our response to homelessness. I’m your host, Scott Larson, CEO of HomeAid America.
Today, we’re joined by Dr. Gregg Colburn, Associate Professor at the University of Washington and co-author of Homelessness Is a Housing Problem: How Structural Factors Explain U.S. Patterns. His groundbreaking research shows that the biggest driver of homelessness isn’t addiction, mental illness, or even poverty, it’s the simple fact of not enough affordable housing.
Gregg’s work has reframed how advocates, policymakers, and nonprofits like HomeAid think about homelessness. We’ll talk about what the data reveals, what myths we need to leave behind, and where the solutions lie.
Welcome to Unsheltered Conversations, a podcast from HomeAid America. This episode of Unsheltered Conversations explores the aftermath of the Lahaina wildfires and the community's journey towards recovery. Host Scott Larson is joined by Kimo Carvalho, Dave Kosko, and Mark Kiner, who share their experiences and insights on rebuilding not just homes, but lives.
The conversation delves into the importance of community involvement, innovative housing solutions, and the role of public-private partnerships in disaster recovery. The creation of Ka Laʻi Ola, a healing space for wildfire survivors, serves as a model for future recovery efforts, emphasizing the need for long-term support and the power of resilience in the face of tragedy.
Welcome to Unsheltered Conversations, a podcast from HomeAid America. Hosted by Scott Larson we're joined by Cindy Bell, the Executive Director of Homemade Colorado, and Laura McKenna, the Executive Director of Tall Tales Ranch.
In this episode, we talk about a pioneering project in Colorado Tall Tales Ranch, a shared housing community for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities, also known as IDD, built in partnership with HomeAid Colorado.
This conversation is about design, disability, dignity, and truly a longterm local partnership.
Welcome to Unsheltered Conversations, a podcast from HomeAid America. Hosted by Scott Larson we're joined by two guests whose work—and lives—embody what it means to move from indifference to connection.
Kevin F. Adler is the founder of Miracle Messages and author of "When We Walk By," a powerful book about the crisis of homelessness and the deeper crisis of belonging.
Alongside him is Jamie Marie Davis, a Miracle Messages Advisory Council member who brings lived experience and incredible wisdom to the work of rehumanizing our neighbors. Together, we’ll talk about personal narratives, the power of reconnection, and how we can all play a role in building a more compassionate world.
Welcome to Unsheltered Conversations, a podcast from HomeAid America where we take an honest look at homelessness and the people, policies, and partnerships working to end it. I'm your host Scott Larson, CEO of HomeAid.
Today for our very first episode, I'm joined by someone whose voice has shaped so much of how HomeAid shows up in the world, our Chief Marketing Communications Officer, Monique Waddington. We're talking about why this podcast exists, what it means to give a voice to those who are unsheltered and the role storytelling plays in helping all of us build a more compassionate response to homelessness.