{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Keen On America","title":"Episode 2257: Kevin Fagan on a San Francisco story of homelessness that will break your heart","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3366,"description":"Award-winning reporter Kevin Fagan is one of San Francisco’s great treasures. In his much acclaimed new book, The Lost and Found, Fagan tells his his two-decade experience reporting about homelessness in San Francisco. He shares the stories of Tyson and Rita, two homeless individuals who he helped reconnect with their families. Tyson, despite having a supportive family, died of a fentanyl overdose, while Rita was rescued by her family and lived 20 more fulfilling years. Fagan, who experienced housing insecurity as a teenager, explains that homelessness stems from systemic poverty issues rather than personal failings. He notes that despite San Francisco's reputation as America’s “homeless central”, 70% of its homeless population lost their homes while already living there.Here are the 5 KEEN ON AMERICA takeaways from our conversation with Fagan:* Personal connection to homelessness shapes Fagan's perspective - his own experience with housing insecurity as a youth gives him unique insight and empathy toward homeless individuals.* Homelessness is not simply a choice - Fagan emphasizes that \"no one wants to be homeless\" and many fall into homelessness through a combination of trauma, mental illness, addiction, and economic factors.* Family intervention can be transformative - Rita's story demonstrates how family reconnection (which inspired San Francisco's \"Homeward Bound\" program) can successfully help people exit homelessness.* San Francisco's homeless reputation is somewhat misunderstood - despite being known as \"Homeless Central,\" about 70% of San Francisco's homeless population became homeless while already living in the city.* Solutions require addressing systemic poverty - Fagan argues that homelessness is fundamentally a poverty problem in America, requiring broader economic solutions beyond what individual cities can accomplish alone.Kevin Fagan is a longtime, award-winning reporter at the San Francisco Chronicle, specializing in homelessness, enterprise...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/bCpvkYgrorWYCv4ujOodZ7o-xqCKvQH-YHlEI5E7zpw/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS83NDM2/MGJjOTYyNjBkYzJi/ZDVhMTUwZDgwMWE3/ZDk3OS5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}