Birds-eye view a homeless encampment in San Francisco that includes many Filipino Americans. From the documentary “Box City“

Homelessness is an issue that affects us all, but it’s especially felt in TFAL’s home base of Los Angeles.  Last year, thanks to a mix of housing unafforadability, stagnant wages, and the effects of past and present systemic inequities, on any given night, nearly 59,000 people in Los Angeles did not have a permanent place to sleep.

And while some consider Los Angeles to be the “capital of homelessness”, its an issue that is felt even more significantly in the Philippines, where it’s estimated that 4.5 million people are homeless, 3 million of which are in Manila alone.

But how do we as Filipinos connect with this issue?  Is it a topic of discussion in our communities and families?  Are there homeless Filipino Americans?  How do we contend with  poverty, inequity, and economic crisis, both here and in the motherland, and what can we do to solve these issues?

It’s also an issue that Producer Mike happens to work on, and has been involved in for the past 10 years.  And it was through his work that he met our guest, Andrew Gutierrez III, of Safe Place for Youth.   In this episode, Producer Mike, Andrew, and the TFAL crew talk about their personal experiences with poverty and homelessness and talk about how our cultural and familial practices intersect with these issues.

Read these recent stories about the experiences of some homeless Filipinos on this side of the Pacific:

‘Box City’: A community of homeless Filipinos in San Francisco

Homeless Filipino couple in Santa Barbara, California renews hope

Homeless Filipino in Winnipeg who built an elaborate shack flies back to Manila via donated fare

And if you’re in the Southern California area, get involved Andrew and Producer Mike’s work at:

Listen through the embedded players below, download directly here or subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts here. For folks who are on Spotify, you can take a listen to us here.