Rex: [00:00:00] This episode contains potentially sensitive topics. Listener discretion is advised,

Andrew: the sense of complete insecurity, not knowing if someone's going to rob you, if the police are gonna bother you, like if it's gonna rain on you. Like the uncertainty while you're homeless. Makes life very stressful. And at the same time, you have to learn how to manage your emotions because the indifference of society around you can generate some kind of anger, rage, hate, and other things, if not controlled properly.

So managing one's emotions when you're really being tested and pushed to the limits, uh, can make or break you. In my case, I would say it made me a better person. Uh, I'm much humbler than I was going into it, and the way I deal with life is much different. So I would say becoming homeless made me a better person.

[00:01:00] And ultimately my contribution to society is, is better because of it.

Rex: I'm Rex Holbein and welcome to You Know Me Now, a podcast conversation that strives to amplify the unheard voices in our community, as well as the individuals and organizations that are in service to those in need. In these episodes, I want to remind all of our listeners that the folks who share here do so with a great deal of courage and vulnerability.

They share a common hope that by giving all of us this window into their world, their opening and increased level of awareness, understanding, and perhaps most importantly, a connection within our own community. Today I have the great pleasure of sharing a conversation I had with a gentleman I met online about 10 years ago.

We met through our mutual interest in understanding and ultimately addressing the issue of homelessness. While [00:02:00] we have had many exchanges over the years, this conversation was our first in-person meeting. We met at Andrew's office in Barcelona, Spain. While homelessness is a global issue, there are unique challenges in each city that require specific responses by its citizens, nonprofits, and government.

Some of those solutions are successful and some not so much. In short, we have a great deal to learn from each other in this shared task of ending homelessness. And with that, I am eager for you to hear Andrew's views on the issue of homelessness. Oh, and what he and his organization are doing in Barcelona and beyond.

Um, let's start by telling me, um, what you're doing.

Andrew: My name's Andrew Funk and the current title that I've been forced to choose, if you will. 'cause it's always funny when people are like, what do you do? [00:03:00] What's your role, what's your profession? Which is kind of difficult. Um, is Global Ambassador for the homeless community.

Previous to that it was social impact activist, um, for homeless people. So we went from homeless people to homeless community and activist towards Global Ambassador, right? Because we're trying to elevate our thought and what we do of how we can empower people made of potential out of homelessness through homeless Entrepreneur, which is the community that have created.

And what we do is we try to connect those that want to improve their situation that are experiencing homelessness and those that would like to contribute. And in that sense, we need to increase the, the pillars, if you will, of knowledge recognition and positive social impact slash change.

Rex: So my first question is, you're living in Barcelona?

Andrew: Yes, sir. Which

Rex: you were born in the States. Tell me about that. How, how did you get here?

Andrew: Well, you know, I think everybody ends up where they need to be. Right? And, and I [00:04:00] ended up here after graduating one year early from Arizona State. Uh, my first love was Mexican and I dealt with cultural changes and, uh, and difference of opinions of social class, right?

So her parents made her choose between, uh, her family and, and me, um, because her mother was disowned from marrying a middle class men. Right. So there's a mixture of classism, racism, and, and a lot of other things.

Rex: Generational.

Andrew: Generational. And RA being raised in Texas, for the most part in Arizona, you're in the south and you hear a lot of Spanish.

And I wanted to explore and grow and I decided Spain was the best place to go. And I came to Spain. And, and what

Rex: year was that?

Andrew: That was in 2003. So I graduated university in 2003. I had a, a major in, in English literature and a minor in economics. Um, I could have had double major, but I thought it [00:05:00] made more sense to graduate a year earlier.

And my ego was okay with having just one, uh, one, uh, one degree. And I decided to come out to Spain, and it's been over half my life now, so I'm 44, turning 45. Been here for half my life.

Rex: Yeah. And one other question that comes to mind about you personally is mm-hmm. You're doing something obviously from your heart.

Right. You're doing it because it's moved you. Um, where did that come from? How was your childhood, in other words?

Andrew: Well, I mean, I don't think it's so much related to my childhood, although we did move around a lot. But the fact that I experienced homelessness myself, right? So, um, in Barcelona, we've raised 300,000 euros to connect entrepreneurs and investors through a platform, and we made sure that the employees got paid first.

Uh, the money was mis mismanaged by the partners, and I ended up seeing 1200 of that. Um, and that obviously affected my personal life. [00:06:00] And I was in a homeless situation in, in Barcelona. I, I, it took, it takes time to really understand who you are, what's going on, and, and why you're, you're where you are, right?

But I realized that I chose to have no home to be near my son than having a home. And being far away from my son. So to a certain extent, it was a conscious decision to be homeless with being close to my son instead of having a home, uh, without my son.

Rex: Okay. You were separated from your son? Yeah. 'cause you guys got divorced.

Andrew: There was a separation. Okay. And I obviously could have gone back to the States and had a roof over my head.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: But having a home is much more than that. So for us, homeless is when the place that you live it live at takes more value away than it provides. But I chose to be in Barcelona because that was more important for me to be near my son than have a roof over my head at the time.

Rex: [00:07:00] Yep. Um. So you, uh, your childhood in, in the States though? Yeah. Was loving mom and dad and,

Andrew: I mean, my parents got divorced. I think like all good Americans, when the kids are like 12. Um, uh, so it's in the

Rex: fine print.

Andrew: It's, it's there. I think you have to get married three times to find the right person, I suppose, or at least the generation of my parents.

Um, they were born 56, right? So, uh, I was born in St. Paul, Minnesota. We went to North Dakota 'cause my father went to work on an Indian reservation. Just got any kind of work that he could find. And then my mom wanted to have my brother at the same exact hospital. So they moved back to, to St. Paul. And my dad got a job in Houston, in the oil business and he worked for Conoco Phillips and other O Oil companies.

And then at 12 my parents got divorced. I remember it quite well. And you know, I was crying and I was, you know, my mom was like, you know. Uh, [00:08:00] you'll be able to help others because of the trauma that you're going through. Right. Which is hard for a 12-year-old to understand it.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: But I can apply the same thing with my homeless experience.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: That trauma, being able to overcome it has allowed us to help over 3,500 people in the last decade. So I wouldn't necessarily ask to go through that experience on purpose or the car accident that I had that allowed me to have money to come out to Spain. But there are things that happened in my life and I turned something negative into a positive and a liability if you want into an asset.

Rex: Yeah. Um, so living homeless in Barcelona. Tell me about your experience first,

Andrew: going from place to place, to place to place, to place to place, and just trying to, to, to find peace of mind and make enough money to pay for rent.

Rex: So place to place is that meaning outside or shelter?

Andrew: Uh, normally shelter. Um, going from one place, staying with one person, going to another place, not knowing how long to stay.

So that would be hidden homelessness, right. When you [00:09:00] don't have a specific place to stay. Um, and it was frustrating because you would go first, people you knew and you'd burn through your friendship without wanting to Yeah. Staying welcome. Yeah. And the hardest thing there was, you know, I would leave the home at five in the morning and I would come back at midnight, but even then, your absence bothers people, right?

So you, you're damned if you do, damned if you don't, kind of thing, which is just like, you just wanna be able to have enough money to pay for rent and to have a normal life. And you can't tell people how long it's gonna take. 'cause you really don't know.

Rex: Yeah. And how long were you homeless?

Andrew: It was nine months going in and nine months coming out.

So it was like two pregnancies. I have two children. Right. So I guess it was only fair that I participated in two myself.

Rex: Two pains.

Andrew: Yeah.

Rex: So is there a difference between being homeless in Barcelona and, and American City?

Andrew: Like, I don't know how many Americans are listening to this, but I think America's a much [00:10:00] worse place to be homeless.

Um, the healthcare system in Spain is a thousand times better. Uh, I, I had to go to the, I had go through the healthcare system 'cause my son broke his toe when I was in Wisconsin. Nobody knows anything about what's going on besides the, the tasks that they're doing. And you don't even know how much you're gonna get billed or if you can pay it until like a few months later.

Right. So I think the way that they deal with healthcare in Spain makes it much easier.

Rex: Mm-hmm.

Andrew: Also.

Rex: Because you're getting a basic need met, even though you're

Andrew: without Exactly. So, you know, I think if you, you can probably, you know, tell me if I'm wrong, but I think in the eighties that's when they closed a lot of the mental health institutions in, in the States.

So they basically filled the streets full of homeless people that had mental health issues and, and you know, the streets kill and they reduce your health and wealth and everything at the same time. Right. So I would say it's harder in, in, in, in the States [00:11:00] than in Spain. I would say that the collective group in the States does more volunteer support, but I think it's probably because the lack of support from the government

mm-hmm.

Andrew: And the institutions, they fill a

Rex: need.

Andrew: Yeah. And in, in Spain it's the other way around where there's less community support there probably. And because they think the government needs to do it

Rex: because they're being taxed

Andrew: Yeah.

Rex: At a higher rate for

Andrew: it. Exactly. Exactly.

Rex: You didn't have, uh, substance use

Andrew: No.

Rex: During that time? No. Which made it. Easier to navigate. Right.

Andrew: Well, I mean the only kind, I mean, I was probably dealing with being a workaholic, right? So that's not, I mean, you can call work a substance to a certain extent because I just needed to, I was, it's hard 'cause I had to work and 'cause I had to make money and it was just hard because no matter how hard I worked, I wasn't making ends meet.

And so the biggest challenge I think I've had going through homelessness was how do you dedicate the right amount of time to yourself and to those that you love [00:12:00] while getting out of a situation that's complicated and that requires more from you.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: And so to a certain extent, you are dealing with the addiction of having to work.

'cause there's no way out of it, right? You can't say, okay, I'm gonna work 20 hour work week, or I need a few days off because I'm stressed. Yeah. Self

Rex: care, whatever.

Andrew: It doesn't exist. So, uh, no, no. Uh, substance abuse issues. Mental health, I had to deal with anxiety and depression in the sense that is normal.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: Um, I remember at the beginning I'd like lie down on the floor just 'cause the gravity of my situation felt like I couldn't get up. You know, you feel like you're melting into the floor. Right. And it's, it's not something that I say for people to feel bad. It just, it was just kind of the reality of the situation.

So it's hard to stay focused when you really don't see like an, an out anytime soon.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: And so you really have to find a way to, you know, people throw the word resilient [00:13:00] around in the corporate world and quite a lot, but staying focused when you've lost almost everything, um, is really hard. And I've seen that, like at Davos, I've invited people to exchange their room to sleep out in a sleeping bag with us for one night.

Oh no, no, no, I can't. 'cause I have to be focused and work tomorrow. So they do recognize the fact that it's harder, but. It's not recognized in the process of getting back into the professional properly. Yeah.

Rex: I think it's, it's a walk in someone's shoes type thing too, right? Like you can say, oh, I can't do that, or I understand it, but it's intellectual.

You don't understand

it.

Andrew: Well, you consciously choose not to do that, um, because you can do it. They do have like co sleep outs and things like that, which I thought was kind of funny. Um, because they have like security Yeah. Like guarded areas in like New York when they were doing that I was like, ah,

Rex: not really, not really getting the point.

Andrew: Like I, okay, I understand. I can see a step in the right direction, but, um, the sense of complete insecurity.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: Um, not knowing if someone's going to rob you.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: Um, if the police are gonna bother [00:14:00] you, like if it's gonna rain on you, like the uncertainty while you're homeless makes life very stressful.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: And at the same time, you have to learn how to manage your emotions because the indifference of society around you can. Can generate some kind of anger, rage, hate, and other things, if not controlled properly.

Rex: Mm-hmm.

Andrew: So managing one's emotions when you're really being tested and pushed to the limits, uh, can make or break you.

Mm-hmm. In my case, I would say it made me a better person. Uh, I'm much humbler than I was going into it, and the way I deal with life is much different. So I would say becoming homeless made me a better person, and ultimately my contribution to society is, is better because of it. I would never say, Hey, let's sign up to do that again.

Rex: Mm-hmm.

Andrew: But I would say that I appreciate the process. Um, and it's been hard, but it's definitely been a [00:15:00] definitive moment in my life.

Rex: Yeah. Are there lasting traumas or experiences from that that,

Andrew: I mean Yeah.

Rex: That you struggle with?

Andrew: I mean, there's, there's always the trauma. Like, I don't ever wanna be homeless again.

I like

Rex: been there, done

Andrew: that. I, I, I don't like. I, I think that trauma is clear of like, I don't want to ever be in that situation again. So I do everything I can, so I'm not in that situation. Um, also, what

Rex: does that mean? I mean, do you, do you save better? Do you, are you,

Andrew: I think I treat my family and loved ones better.

Right? Like really appreciate it even times like, you're like, like it's not coming from where it should, but you know that you're not the most important person in the room. It's the collective group and your family. And that's, you know, family is really the essence of what brings people together and keeps them from being homeless.

Right. And like the tribal mentality in Africa of like, you know, part of the group. Like [00:16:00] that's not, that's not an option. So I, I think that's when you see injustice take place like that can resonate with some trauma and get really upset. And angry. And you want to, you know, you want to yell, you want to, you want to respond in, in an, in different tone, but then you have to be reminded that that's not gonna get you anywhere.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: And so in order to be beyond incredible in what you do, you really have to understand how to manage your emotions, and when they're below 60,

Rex: yeah.

Andrew: Um, then you need to, uh, take a step back, take a breather, and ask yourself how you can look at it from a different perspective.

Rex: Yeah. I think that's really beautiful what you're sharing.

I, I, I, I'm also struck with, and I know you know this too, is that, you know, like, okay, so you had a good childhood. Basically, you, you conveyed, you probably felt like you were loved and, and you seem to have a good work ethic, and you, and you've got a, you're [00:17:00] managing your life, right?

Andrew: Yeah.

Rex: Then you throw into that formula.

Somebody that's in a family first that's dysfunctional. Right? Maybe the trauma you, I agree with you, family is so important, but if the trauma comes from family,

Andrew: another issue,

Rex: then what do you do? Right? So it's, it's such a complicated process of managing just what you said of like, you know, how you navigate homelessness.

Um,

Andrew: yeah. I can give you an example on that. The first person we helped rest in peace, his name's Marco, he passed away, I believe, at 48 of a heart attack. And uh, he explained how he had to deal with certain type of abuse when he was a kid, in which his mother had actually seen it and knew what was going on and didn't stop it.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: I don't think I need to be explicit about it, but I do think he said, how do you expect me to be okay? And there are two responses and feelings I have there. Obviously. One is I wouldn't want to, you know, wish that upon my worst [00:18:00] enemy. And the other thing is. There are people that are able to overcome it and those that don't.

Rex: Mm-hmm.

Andrew: And I don't know what the magic formula is, but I do know that people go through trauma. It could be war, it could be, um, violence, it could be any type of trauma. And some people are able to convert it into a strength in their superpower, if you will, to help others. And others are have a challenge overcoming it.

Rex: Absolutely. And that's why the statement, uh, I got through it. Why can't you? Makes no sense, right? Because just 'cause you did it doesn't mean that that person can do it too. No, we're all given different tools.

Andrew: It's very immature in my opinion. It's an immature way of looking at it. Um, and it also is like I'm better than you kind of thing.

Um, and I think you have to really just be conscious and sometimes just observe and give love and respect and understand people are different places. [00:19:00] And they have a different framework, you know?

Rex: Mm-hmm.

Andrew: And then you decide how you would like to interact with others.

Rex: Mm-hmm.

Andrew: But I think it's important to understand everyone's in a different moment.

The hard thing is when your ego's in place and you get upset because you wouldn't do that, or that's not how it should be. Yeah. Um, instead of understanding why they're doing it and appreciating that's the best they can probably give you at that moment.

Rex: Exactly. And we don't all start at the start line.

Andrew: No.

Rex: Some people spend their life just getting to the start line

Andrew: and some end up, like beyond the finish line.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: Just before they start it so they can, they're already good and they can watch everyone of us go. Right. So,

Rex: yeah, exactly. How do people in Barcelona, um, interface with, you know, the home? How do they interface with the homeless?

Is it, do they look at it with, um,

Andrew: you have all times

Rex: judgment or,

Andrew: I mean, I, I think around the world you have people that relate and those that don't. Right. So you [00:20:00] have things, we have a video that has like more than 1.4 million views and it was a homeless couple in southern Spain, um, in, uh, in a cave.

Rex: Mm-hmm.

Andrew: And that brought up a lot of topics, right. Which is like, okay, immigrants staying in five star hotels while nationals that are homeless, uh, can't find a place to stay. And that's something that came up in the States, New York and other places, right. I think they were even shipping homeless people to New York City, if I'm not mistaken.

Um, and I think that just shows the lack of understanding and the ignorance of the situation. Um, and I think it's our responsibility to give people more knowledge. So if you look at it from an objective standpoint, it's probably five times more expensive to help someone that's homeless from outside of the country than here.

Hmm. Just because they need to integrate. They don't have a family support structure. They didn't go to school [00:21:00] just because you went to the school, you went to. You have an amazing network of people that could potentially help you. So I, I, I think, um, in Barcelona it's full of people from all over the world.

There is generally an interest to help the homeless community, but most of the time it's assistance based just because they don't have the knowledge. And so, food, clothing, uh, blanket and, and if you wanna take a step up, you know, social housing

Rex: mm-hmm.

Andrew: But even then, it's easier for them to manage the building than the people within it.

So I think society on a whole around the world has to figure out how to have a better relationship with people and understand how we can uplift each other. And also it's not helping the poor. And like they don't give you anything. They're contributing. You all do amazing photography. Without that model, that photo doesn't exist.

Mm-hmm. Right. So I think it's important to understand that everyone can contribute [00:22:00] and then understanding each person's framework and seeing how we can make it grow a little bit together is, is an important aspect.

Rex: Yeah. I love your comment. It's easier to, to manage the building than the people in it,

Andrew: but you're an architect.

Right. But,

Rex: but, but I mean, it's, so that is such a great statement. To put the finger right on the, on the pulse of it is that that's the problem. Right. Humans are just so, uh, uniquely themselves. Right. And with it comes all the variables. And I think, I think, uh, yeah, it's, it's difficult to relate to people that are pushing your buttons or are living outside of the lines that you are used to living in.

Yeah. It's

Andrew: another aspect that I would throw in there that I think's relevant is the importance of leadership. And the example that business leaders and country leaders provide or don't provide. And I think that affects the way society approaches homelessness as well. [00:23:00] So if, uh, the leader of a company or a country or an organization or a community treats people with love and respect in approaching it, you probably have more people mirroring that.

Yeah. And if it's not, you'll get the other side of it and

Rex: modeling good behavior.

Andrew: Yeah. So I think that we have to do better, uh, how we approach it as a community. And also just one thing that needs to be said is it's completely ridiculous that there's no plan to end homelessness in cities. Like, there's not, like, how do we take this?

How do we identify zero? It's probably not zero, but how do we identify zero? And then what's the plan to actually make it happen? And normally what I see is there are more plans of how we can provide social housing and more food banks and other things like that, but is helpful. But it doesn't recognize like what's the end goal.

Rex: Mm-hmm. [00:24:00]

Andrew: And I think that's something that really needs to be considered because there's so many people that are providing support and we have to figure out how we can come up with a better, better result if you

Rex: want. What are the components in your part that make up a plan?

Andrew: And one is recognizing how many people are homeless using the same number.

In Spain you have the NGOs that use a higher number and the government institutions using a lower number. You can't have like 15,000 difference in people. Right. So what does that mean? It means that NGOs receive more funding if there are more beneficiaries. So they say the number's bigger and, and in government receives more votes if it's lowered.

It's as simple as that. So I think. You have to use the same number. And then you have to figure out, well, in that group, how many people are willing and able to improve their situation in the different capacities and the different solutions. So there may be people that have really hard time because of mental health and substance abuse, and they need a different [00:25:00] solution.

But if you provide that solution, then they're no longer homeless 'cause they found a home. Right? So we really have to define what a homelessness is and what it isn't, and then also have a clear solution and understand and be honest when what we're doing is failing. And then as a community figure out how we can do it better.

Rex: Yeah. You know, for, for me, I would say if I had to put my finger on something right, I would talk about mental health. For sure.

Andrew: Yeah.

Rex: That, that, and we're just simply in, in the states specifically, I would say my experience in Seattle is that we're not, we're not anywhere near providing the support of the mental health needed.

Anxiety for so many people is through the roof, and that's just the tip of the iceberg with regards to all the things that need to be addressed.

Andrew: Yeah.

Rex: Would people here be in a place to provide, or do they the needed, um, response for mental health?

Andrew: Do they receive the support?

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: Well, you have

two services

Rex: available.

Andrew: Do you have [00:26:00] services that are available? But I know like, uh, they created more outreach support, so doctors would go to the streets instead of waiting for the homeless community to go to the hospitals. So I think that was a step in the right direction. I don't know if it's happening all over the states, but I do know there was a big push to that for that.

Um,

Rex: sorry. In the States

Andrew: or? Yeah, in the States and other places as well. I understand that they have outreach teams of doctors that go to the streets. There are

Rex: that, that does exist. But

Andrew: I mean, it's a minority, I suppose.

Rex: Yeah. And the big picture, it's a drop in the bucket of what's needed, right?

Andrew: Yeah. So I would say the important thing is understanding what people need.

Just because you have a service available doesn't mean people use it. So you have to create, uh, a path that people are willing and able to take. So I'll give you a simple example. We, we've helped the homeless community of those affected by cancer as well. And the building in Barcelona is beautiful. Guess what?

If you're homeless, you feel really uncomfortable in that building. [00:27:00]

Rex: Mm-hmm.

Andrew: So people don't go in, it looks too nice for them. Mm-hmm. It so we have to understand how to bring people together. How do we bridge that gap? And the only way is including them in the conversation and as stakeholders. And what happens is normally they're not included.

So, uh, I think the work that you're doing, the work that we're doing, trying to show the human aspect of how people are part of the society and create a better relationship brings them in as stakeholders in the more technical term. But as human beings in society,

Rex: you're empowering them.

Andrew: Exactly. And I think that's the most important thing because just because you have the available services for healthcare doesn't mean that I'm gonna go even for people that don't have mental health care issues.

Rex: Yeah, but you're describing a different, you know, issue than, than what I think we have in the states,

Andrew: like fentanyl and that stuff.

Rex: Well just, no, just, well, that's a huge issue. But, but mental health, right? Like we just don't have available mental [00:28:00] health.

Andrew: It could be also the American mentality of like how to approach life.

And the individual aspect. 'cause mental health, I would say the community plays a very strong role in creating a stronger

Rex: mm-hmm.

Andrew: Uh, mental health base.

Rex: Mm. The fact that we're more individual individualistic, that we're, we're, we're on it alone. We don't

Andrew: have, well, you have less support. So if you have a spider web with one string, one strand, what happens?

Rex: Yeah. Yeah.

Andrew: So I think having a stronger sense of community.

Rex: So culturally,

Andrew: culturally,

Rex: we're already, we're behind eight ball.

Andrew: I would say that

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: The things that we do.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: Make it harder for us to have strong mental health if we don't take care of our community.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: To the more we take care of our community, also the healthier we are.

Rex: Absolutely. So do you think that that makes it, uh, the path for someone that's homeless in Barcelona, let's say versus Seattle, that mental health aspect isn't as strong of [00:29:00] a, an issue? Like, do you think that that community connection. I think actually helps people in a tangible way.

Andrew: I think American, the Americans that we've worked with, and I don't want to necessarily refer to those that are specifically in the program right now, but generally speaking, I think Americans have a harder time accepting their homeless.

Rex: Mm-hmm.

Andrew: Than people in Europe. Right? So the volatility of going up and down in the States is greater than Europe, right. It's harder to go up and down in Europe, but in the States you can go up and down. So if you've got a good paying job, everything's good, and then all of a sudden, like you're on the verge of being evicted.

You don't associate with being homeless. You don't you like, that's not you. Like, it's like there's an injustice and when it's generational, just kind of it is what it is.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: So there's more of an acceptance of the situation, and I think when you don't accept who you are and where you are, it's hard to embrace who you are.

At its [00:30:00] best, at your best. And if you don't embrace it in your flaws and, and everything, then you're not gonna improve your situation. So, uh, if you don't love yourself for who you are, you can't expect other people to do it.

Rex: Bingo, that leads into a question of relationship. How important is relationship in this formula?

That

Andrew: it's, it's the bread and butter. I mean, uh, if you just look at it from a perspective like who's going to receive more help? A homeless guy or a homeless couple? The couple, every single time. Because they've proven that they are responsible enough to maintain a relationship with one person. So they're one step further in showing trust and credibility.

So friendship shows there's credibility within the group. When you're completely alone, you burnt a lot of context and friends, it means probably you're gonna burn the next one that comes too. Right. So there's an understanding of building that [00:31:00] relationship for us. Friends and family, you have different types of family, right?

Blood, and then you have those that are like family. So I think community is, is basic. When it comes standing, it's a, it's a bond that prevents homelessness. 'cause if you have no money, you know, job, anything, but you have family, you have a home, and you have love and you respect. But if you don't have that, you're out of luck.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: So

Rex: you're alone.

Andrew: Community is everything for us. It, it really, it, it, it's what, it's what will allow people that are out of the system due to legal purposes or, um, yeah. Legal or any other reasons. Um, if the community accepts, you can be part of it and you can contribute. Otherwise, you're, you're completely out of the game.

Rex: Yeah. You're extricated and you're on your own.

Andrew: Yeah.

Rex: And talk a little bit about the benefit that you've seen for people that are homed that. That, you know, take a moment to get off their path, right? Yeah. To help someone that's struggling with theirs. Like, like what are the benefits to, to [00:32:00] the community that's homed for reaching out and stopping saying, hello?

Andrew: Well, I mean, how do you feel? Let's just start with simple feelings. When you walk out of your building and there's a homeless person with 30 feet sleeping, shivering. 'cause it's really cold as you go to work and you see, like, that can't be a good feeling, right? And you have to feel responsible or accountable to a certain extent as a community to be like, this person is here and, and I'm part, that's part of my environment and, and I water my own flowers, if you will.

So I, I think people that are homed when, when they help others, they're improving the quality of their environment and that ultimately. Creates a better environment for themselves.

Rex: Mm-hmm.

Andrew: It's gotta be violent when you see someone suffering or dying. 'cause a lot in street, many people are dying in front of your eyes and if you don't see them there anymore, you know, re it's because they're not [00:33:00] there anymore.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: When we take care of those that aren't homed, we also are taking care of ourselves too. And also educating others.

Rex: Yeah. I agree with that so much. You know, I also feel that on a practical point

Andrew: Yeah.

Rex: It's, it takes more energy to not see the person than to actually reach out and say, Hey man, how you doing?

I mean, you have to go People, people spend a lot of energy pretending they don't see that person.

Andrew: Well and some become experts at that. Right. Mean well

Rex: you get better at what you do A lot of.

Andrew: Yeah. And the other thing too is I think a lot of people feel impotent, like they really don't know how to help.

And they need support from other organizations and people to say, Hey, this is how you can help. Uh, uh, we got a call through the helpline today from a gentleman in OSA who wanted to help this guy who was experienced in homelessness. And the dilemma was not that he wasn't gonna receive a place, was there was a wealthy person with a lot of debt that was going to [00:34:00] provide this free place for him to stay, but not free charging him, but without a contract.

And, and then at the same time a lot of expensive artwork in there. So he was very concerned for this guy. 'cause he's like, he could go in there with no contract and then be accused of stealing or destroying the artwork and then go to jail for no reason not being a defendant. Like all these crazy things that could happen.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: And so this person, um, saw it, saw that it was positive for him to help the other individual. Um, and he turned that negative sensation that he was feeling potentially for the other person into something positive.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: And reaching out anything. I think we have to do that. We have to understand that, um, it's not them but us.

And when we understand that we are the community and it's not us and them, uh, we take care of society.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: In a different way.

Rex: Absolutely. I think also we underestimate our creative compassion, right? Like we think, oh, I [00:35:00] can't do anything. But if you actually start, it's amazing how every person can find their own answer within that, that moment.

Andrew: You have to practice and train and you know, I was seeing, I was watching a video the other day and we all look ridiculous at everything. The first time we tried walking, speaking.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: Anything. First video, first interview, you look really ridiculous.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: But you have to go through that process and I think people are afraid of looking and feeling ridiculous, so they stay away from it, but they need to know that it's okay.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: And it's pride and ego at the end of the day.

Rex: Yeah. I think also people, um. It's a boundary issue.

Andrew: Yeah.

Rex: Because if you say, Hey man, how you doing? And you show some kind of, uh, forward, you know, movement towards that person, you also have to be okay when they say, Hey, I need 20 bucks. And you gotta be able to, if you don't wanna give that 20, and I'm fine if you want to give the 20, but if you don't wanna give it, you have to be okay saying, no, no, but I, I [00:36:00] care about you still.

I have to say no in a way that isn't, um, off-putting. Right. And, and that boundary is important for each of us to know where that is.

Andrew: It's violent for the people that don't know how to do that. Right? Like, they don't know how to say no. Um, they don't know how to have that conversation.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: I always tell people, no, I don't have money.

I will never give you money. Um, we have an organization, we can help you this way if you're interested, happy to speak about it.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: Um, and wish you the best. And you know, they have their right. They can ask for money if they insist is another story. Like everyone, they can, of course, that you can ask just like someone calls and tries to sell you a plan for your phone, you can do it.

You can hang up on them. Yeah. You can say, no, thank you, whatever. But I do think that the important thing is you're

Rex: not, you're not obligated.

Andrew: No. But I, I do think that you have to learn that they need money. Like people need money to survive. So it's normal for people to express what they need. And, and I think the reality is we have to [00:37:00] educate societies so they understand how to that have that conversation.

So you get over that uncomfortable moment of they're gonna ask something from me, but everybody asks for something. It's when you don't know how to respond and interact, which is when it becomes uncomfortable. But I do think it's practice and when somebody does it, you find a different way. And some people maybe just tell a joke.

Other people say, um, I don't do that. Or, no, thank you.

Rex: Yeah. Yeah.

Andrew: And, and I think that, that, that's helpful.

Rex: Yeah. I agree. I think that's why we always say. You know, addressing and ending homelessness has more to do with the changes that we need to make than the changes that person that's homeless.

Andrew: Oh yeah.

I mean, you can't, I mean, you can only change yourself, right? Yeah. Like, you can't, I can't change the structure of the interview, right? Yeah. I can give the best of myself in the interview. Um, and then there's a certain moment you have to understand that it's out of your hands.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: Right. You share that interview and then people listen to it and they have their opinions.

Rex: Yeah. But with regards to homelessness,

Andrew: yeah.

Rex: You know, there's, I [00:38:00] think there is a lack of awareness that we actually, the homed are actually a big part of the problem.

Andrew: Well, the majority of society, right? So you can't expect like 0.001% of the population to. Have that kind of impact if, unless we're talking about billionaires.

Rex: That's actually a really great point. It's true. You know, their, their being, their ability to move the needle, right?

Andrew: Yeah.

Rex: Is, is almost impossible in that sense. So it really falls on us.

Andrew: Well, it's the relationship they have with those that are homed. Right. So, uh, I remember we were working with the university and they wanted to create a business card so that way the homeless person could raise funds for themselves.

I'm like, why? Like, you, like this person's like at the bottom end of understanding how to generate wealth. That business card should be for wealthy people that can raise funds with their friends and people that have wealth to bring it closer to help the individual that needs that. Yeah. Right. So I think we have to [00:39:00] remember that, you know, if you want to help sick people, you need to make sure that you have really well trained doctors in a medical world.

Hmm. So you have to invest in where you can help find the solution and then help educate people so they know how to take care of their, uh, their body, the best that they can. Right. So, um, I, I think one thing is the education system that we go through. Like, nobody teaches you how to manage money or how to deal with taxes.

Right. And that's huge. So if you go into the real world and you don't know how to manage money, you can become homeless really quickly. Mm-hmm. And, and so I think education's important, um, and understanding that when we invest, how long it can be stretched. And also the other thing is empowerment, is teaching people how they can actually contribute and also be independent as much as possible, which is something that we promote.

Rex: Yeah, I agree. How, how does your organization maintain, um, create and [00:40:00] maintain relationships? Like what does that look like? For you guys?

Andrew: For us, it's, it's just a very, it's human nature. Just being respectful, communicating with people that we believe we can contribute some kind of value to and ask to be part of it.

So it's something, I mean, it's just like our friendship, if you will. We've known each other for, I think a decade, more or less. And we're meeting in person today in Barcelona and we've maintained contact throughout the years and it's always been respectful and, and I think understanding how our friendship has grown is the same way it grows within the community.

'cause it's not one day to the next.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: You constantly taking care of the community.

Rex: Yeah. So do you, outta curiosity, does your phone number go out to people on the streets?

Andrew: Everywhere? My phone number is the same. My phone number is all, I mean, it's, uh, it, it's very public.

Rex: Yeah,

Andrew: right.

Rex: I got a text at two in [00:41:00] the morning from a friend.

Said simply tomorrow I'm going to detox. And this guy's been chronically using his whole life, right? Yeah. And it was a moment.

Andrew: You have to, I mean, the thing is you allow yourself to be part of the community.

Rex: Mm-hmm.

Andrew: When you have open communication and when you do it from love and respect, um, you get that too.

And obviously you have to keep in mind that sometimes you get the opposite. You know, I've, I'm not an expert on mental health. Don't pretend to be. But we have helped people with severe mental health issues like schizophrenia and other issues. And the way that I deal with it personally, I'm not a doctor, don't, don't pretend to be, but I'm just like, listen, you need to have that moment, embrace it, and when you're in a better place, let's speak.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: And the expectation and understanding that people that have severe mental health [00:42:00] issues. Very, uh, resource intensive, if you will, time, energy, and effort. And as long as you're cleared how you can contribute in a way that's healthy for you and healthy for the other individual, you can, you can really uplift your community.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: And it's without like the arrogant, uh, position of thinking that you're there to save the world and you know exactly what I'm talking about. Um, you, you can't guarantee anything besides you will give the best Yeah. Of what you can. And if it helps, amazing. And if not, you know?

Rex: Yeah. I love your line, uh, that you have to be open to the com to being part of the community.

Andrew: Yeah.

Rex: Right. Like, like that's really, it's, it's simple and obvious, but I think it's missed, right? Like you have to really consciously be open to saying, I'm, and you also said it beautifully, that, that there is this reward, but also there is this mess that's coming with it. And you have to be good with that.

Andrew: You have to manage it. You have to be okay with it. Also, I think. In [00:43:00] the States, it's really easy not to be part of the C communion. You have your house.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: You have your yard.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: And you

Rex: have your

Andrew: commute. Yeah. You have your car, so you go get your groceries, you go back home. You have your life there.

When I go visit my, my father in, in Wisconsin, I don't know the neighbors.

Rex: Is that different here?

Andrew: Yeah, for sure. Like it's, it's more people. Explain

Rex: that. Why? '

Andrew: cause I think you're just closer. Probably. Like the sense of community is different than in the states. Like you have your property, your bubble, like I remember in the States people talking about you're in my bubble.

Like that was in the nineties. I don't know if people still use that term, but I think there's more of a need to be part of the community here, uh, than in the states.

Rex: Yeah, I wish I could put my finger on what I feel that when I come to Europe, right? Yeah. I have, I have, I have a mom that was born in Berlin.

We visit relatives in Germany all the time. Yeah. Not all the time, but

Andrew: enough.

Rex: Enough, right? Yeah. To [00:44:00] get the feeling. And I can't put my finger on that. Like why is that, why

Andrew: Europe's more tribal and the states, like, the mentality is, I mean, look, people have, uh, they had different currencies for a long time, right?

They had different languages. Like in Spain, you have Catalonia, you have Pa Bosco, you have the, you know, Gallegos, you have these smaller pockets, if you will, that are more regional. And in the states, you don't have that same mentality, right? So in the States, you have like the hero of like the independent person that's, that's a billionaire or whatever.

And he's done it all by himself. Self-made American. Nobody does anything by themselves.

Rex: Yeah. Yeah.

Andrew: And if they do, they probably pay a lot of people less than they should to do their work for them.

Rex: Yeah. And if they do, if they do feel that they're, they're delusional. Really? No, I mean, we're all

Andrew: Exactly. I mean, even if you look at the pyramids or anything, like no one person did anything.

And so, [00:45:00] and it's very arrogant to think so. So I think the difference is people accept the community aspect in place of, you know, like I'm the hero, I'm the star of the show and everything like that. So I think it's the difference as well as, you know, when the person that wins the award for being the main protagonist, thanks everyone from the person that cleaned to the person that did the audio to everything and recognized that for me, that means a lot in someone pretending like they're there because they were chosen by the hand of

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: Who, whomever.

Rex: God's gift.

Andrew: Yes.

Rex: So, how's your work going?

Andrew: It's good. You know, we're learning it's, you know, 10 years in, it's not, it's sounds strange to say a decade, but it's been that long. And, um, just constantly using constructive criticism to challenge yourselves to be better. And as a result, uh, we're helping more people.

[00:46:00] So, you know, obviously before I kick the bucket, I would like to have a model that's in place that can be used by, by, uh, business and government leaders and communities to approach homelessness in a different way. So I feel like we're going in the right direction. Um, the model is obviously inspiring people, but it's a long term game and, and there's just so much to learn, so much to learn.

Rex: Yeah. Life journey.

Andrew: Yeah.

Rex: If people wanna learn more about. What you're doing.

Andrew: Yeah.

Rex: How should they do that?

Andrew: Uh, reach out. Just look for Andrew Funk, homeless entrepreneur. You'll probably find my email, which is funk@homelessentrepreneur.org or my telephone number, which is plus three four six nine seven eight seven seven zero eight nine.

And just reach out to me through social media, through email, whatever, get the conversation going and we respond quite quickly. So I would say if people are interested in donating or volunteering or [00:47:00] doing a campaign, anything, if they just wanna learn about what we're doing, um, reach out to us and we'll give an honest response of, uh, what we're doing and how we could potentially collaborate.

Rex: Yeah. And your, I know your outreach is including now wanting to do work in the states.

Andrew: Yeah.

Rex: I mean, tell us a little bit about your model of branching out beyond Barcelona. What is,

Andrew: I mean, 'cause we work around the world, right? So, um, the majority of our work is outside of Barcelona. Um, we have a helpline that people contact around the world to connect with.

Advice and unknown resources. We have the Voices program where they tell their story in 60 seconds, their first name, location, situation, what they're looking for. That also does something similar to what you do with photography, which is changing the perception of what homelessness is and what it isn't.

And that helps connect them to our community. And the beautiful part about that is we don't play a role in intermediating them. If somebody wants to help another person, the only thing we do is we [00:48:00] ask for their permission to connect them. And then whatever they do, they're adults and they, and they can progress that way.

And then the help program where we help people five to 15 hours a week. You met to the people in the program? Mm-hmm. Um, Rafa, uh, who's from Morocco, who's been living here his entire life. He was adopted at seven in Melody. He was from the uk.

Rex: And, and can you, would raco be okay if you spoke a little bit about his, his journey?

Andrew: Yeah. I mean, um, he was adopted in southern Spain. Um, and then he's been going through issues with his documentation. And then right now, when we first met, he came through an advisor of ours 'cause he was, uh, making money by, I don't know if you've been to park, but, uh, there are a lot of homeless people there and there are a lot of birds.

And what he does is he helps tourists take pictures with the birds.

Rex: Yeah. Our grandson just did that.

Andrew: He probably did it with him.

Rex: There were a lot of folks, but Yeah.

Andrew: Yes. But he's like the main guy there.

Rex: Okay.

Andrew: [00:49:00] And so, and also now he's working on, uh, getting his legal documentation in line.

Rex: But Is he homeless?

Andrew: Yeah. Yeah. He's sleeping in in Paia.

Rex: Okay.

Andrew: Like, which is the richest street in Barcelona.

Rex: Okay. And so when I met him, he told a little bit about wanting to sell honey now or?

Andrew: Yeah. Well he's in the process 'cause he's, since he was six years old, he was selling things in the street and he's 33, so he's been selling for.

30 years.

Rex: He knows how to do that.

Andrew: He knows how to do that. So what he's doing now is he, he wants to buy his first order of honey and, and, uh, olive oil. It's 230 euros and he's been doing the numbers and, and, uh, he's trying to get someone to help put the money in so he can pay it back and plus 50 euros for the loan, if you will.

So that way he can get on his feet and sell the product.

Rex: So he's gonna pay it back plus 50 euros.

Andrew: Yeah. Well, because you, you, here's the thing. Uh, you could have donors that just put the money in. That's it. 230 euros is not a big amount of money.

Rex: No.

Andrew: Um, and then you have other [00:50:00] people that would just like the money returned, uh, without any commitment of time.

And then you have others that appreciate the fact that their time's being valued.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: Right. So that's the thing on the table. We're working with other people to help him with his business plan. And, and the support for communication. Understanding how to manage his time, how to educate him, how to educate himself so that way he can run his business properly.

Rex: And has he done, how do you do the outreach? Do you, how do you get this out to the community?

Andrew: Well, it's you, we have events. We have more than a hundred thousand people in our social media. You know, something about having a large social media outreach and then directly speaking with people. So we build a, a team of volunteers that have at least seven volunteers for each homeless entrepreneur.

And we build their community and get their story out there. And we give them opportunities to speak in front of universities and companies. And we're doing a campaign in the street for a charity film screening that we're doing on the 27th with, with, uh, garbage Wrecks, which is a short film, um, with [00:51:00] Honey Films.

And, uh, they're gonna participate in the street campaign to promote the, uh, to promote the, uh, the film and. We actually have, uh, lemme see if I can find this real quick.

Rex: So while you're looking for that. Yeah. So basically he procures this, uh, you know, 250, pays back the 50. Does he then do that again? Does he, does he look for more or is he on

Andrew: the way he does that?

Uh, the ideas as soon as he's able to have enough resources so he doesn't have to ask for it.

Rex: Yeah. '

Andrew: cause he has to end up having 230 euros

Rex: Okay.

Andrew: Himself.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: So that way he can do it. So the idea is that he does the loan and if that generates enough money so he doesn't have to ask for any support again, then he's good.

Yeah.

Rex: So you help him move up until he kind of is set to, to run on his own.

Andrew: Exactly. And so this is the back of the flyer and you can see his pictures on the back of the flyer.

Rex: Yeah. '

Andrew: cause he's gonna be helping give it. So it's, and that's the film. So it's, it's nice 'cause we include them in the communication that we do and [00:52:00] we give them a role in which they're protagonists.

It's not like, you know, this poor guy, it's this person who. Working to improve his life and, and add value to the community. Yeah. So it's, it's a process they have to go through too, because he's like, Andrew, I don't wanna do a video begging for 230 years. I'm like, first of all, you're not begging.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: Second of all, you're providing an opportunity for the other person to make 50 euros if they want to, or you're providing them with an opportunity to help another person get off the street.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: And there are a lot of people that would be more than happy to pay 230 Euros to help someone get off the street.

Rex: Yep. '

Andrew: cause the government's spending 30,000 or more a year per person. Yeah.

Rex: How important to you is this $50, 50 euros beyond, is that, is that critical in your, in your mind? In my, his development,

Andrew: in my mind, business person, I think it's important for him to understand,

Rex: yeah.

Andrew: That, that's how the normal world works.

A bank gives you money, you pay interest, period. So it's important that we teach people how normal business takes place so they understand and respect it if they get a [00:53:00] better deal. Perfect.

Rex: That's also the business world.

Andrew: Yes. It's also the business world.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: So if he's able to get a better deal, perfect.

But we want the community to know that he's actually willing and able to interact like any other normal business person that would be willing to do that. So if he has to do it or not is secondary, it's the willingness to say, Hey, I'm willing to do this. And then the other person obviously would decide.

Rex: Andrew. That's beautiful.

Andrew: Yeah.

Rex: Nice job. Seriously.

Andrew: Thank you.

Rex: I think that's, um, yeah, it's making me think a lot about stuff we're doing in Seattle.

Andrew: Yeah.

Rex: You know, we have that, we have a little bit of that, that issue, um, with regards to the block homes that we were putting in backyards. And we had a long discussion back and forth about should they pay some amount of rent, you know, and we ended up opting not to because I think.

Well one is it simplified things, right?

Andrew: Legally it simplifies things

Rex: for sure. So, you know, it's like boom, boom. There's no, the government's not involved because there's no money being transferred. And

Andrew: when there's no [00:54:00] money being moved, it's easier. But, uh, in the long term, there are two ways of looking at it, in my opinion, without wanting to cut you off.

Um, one is use whatever the government's doing. So in Spain it's 30% of your income's considered social housing. So my suggestion there would, depends on the, really the essence of the organization, what you wanna promote. But I would say the best thing is you use whatever the government's using with percentage.

Mm-hmm. And then make sure that at least they have a minimum so they can cover basic needs. Right. Which would be, okay after 500 euros or after $500, sorry, or whatever it is, then they, then they start to contribute 30% and that's a way to work into it.

Rex: Yep.

Andrew: If you want to. And also give them the opportunity to participate.

But from our experience, people need to want to contribute and participate

Rex: mm-hmm.

Andrew: For it to be sustainable. Or they can, I don't wanna say abuse, but they can take mm-hmm. Maybe more than they, [00:55:00] they, uh, give back. Yeah. But it depends really on, on the essence of what you want to do.

Rex: Yeah. I really like the, the way that you phrased so that they can learn that this is the way normal business works.

Right. Yeah. Like, we take that for granted.

Andrew: Yeah.

Rex: Right. But I think a lot of people, depending on how they were raised or the situations they were exposed to. They don't know that. Right. Like, that's not how it actually works. Right. So I think it's,

Andrew: it's part of a life lesson. It's part of education.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: Letting 'em know this is how it normally works and if you get a better deal, be very happy with it.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: Because I think a lot of people would be more likely to give you, um, some kind of resources without expecting anything or even like, as a donation to a certain extent. But we want him to understand the goal is not to be treated as someone that's lesser, but an equal.

Rex: Yeah. Well, and also I think there's a certain sense of, um, pride.

Andrew: Yeah.

Rex: That comes along with

Andrew: being able to,

Rex: I, the fact that I, I, I secured this loan and I made good on making payment.

Andrew: He wanted to pay. He's like, Andrew, I'm gonna pay this weekly. I'm like, no. I'm like, [00:56:00] that's not how you, that's not how business is done.

Rex: Right.

Andrew: Poor people pay daily or weekly.

Rex: Right.

Andrew: That's how it is. You pay monthly or yearly depending on what you do. But I said, you have to think of it like this. You pay monthly. Because they're thinking about normal usury, which is like, you pay interest per week or day, or some crazy things like that, which is absurd.

So, no, it's weekly. This is normal. It's how everybody

Rex: else does it.

Andrew: This is okay, but this is so they understand this is how normal business takes place. And then from there, grow.

Rex: Yeah. Is there anything that you want to share about, just in general, the issue of homelessness? Like if you were talking to people in Seattle, right?

Yeah. And, and beyond, but what, what do you want them to know?

Andrew: I would invite the people that have wealth to invest smarter and to have more sincere conversations with organizations like yours and ours and many others that are working on it to make sure that we can work together instead of the typical thing of throwing money and then expecting magic to take place.

Rex: Hmm.

Andrew: So I, I [00:57:00] think,

Rex: tell, tell me what, working smarter, donating smarter, what does that look like? Like

Andrew: understanding the process.

Rex: And how do they do that?

Andrew: Well, I would say, you know, if you're going to invest money, you need to understand the outcome you're looking for and the desired result. And also how the organizations grow.

And many times we see that when the design is poor in the investment, the, the actions of the organizations are poor as well. So we believe it's important for people to invest. You have to think long term if you invest once or if you invest for five years and gives different focus of how that organization can, can support, right.

So I think I'm a big fan of pushing long-term investment so that way the organizations can spend more time on the work instead of raising funds.

Rex: So when you talk to donors, you talk about not just donating now for my end year, uh, end fundraiser, but I wanna talk to you about donating for five years

Andrew: [00:58:00] Yeah.

And,

Rex: and what that looks like and what you can expect to get from that.

Andrew: So I, I think it's important to understand you. It's. You're building a relationship with people and it's not about a one time wham bam. Thank you ma'am. Donation. Um, even if you look at it like this, many people prefer to receive like a hundred euro donation once than like 10 euros a month.

Rex: Mm-hmm. Yep.

Andrew: When that's 120 a year.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: And you build a relationship with people. So I, I think there's a fear of like, what if that person stops donating in three months, then it's only 30.

Rex: Mm-hmm.

Andrew: Right? So I think, uh, the relationship we have with money

Rex: mm-hmm.

Andrew: And the understanding of how that money contributes to create better results is important because the challenge is really for us, is how do you get into the budget of companies and, and governments and individuals.

Yeah. So they, they invest in that. But the challenge is like people, I was talking about this the other day. Um, I think a lot of people like to see [00:59:00] others suffer.

Rex: Mm. Wow. There's a,

Andrew: I don't, I don't,

Rex: there's a, there's a, there's a book.

Andrew: Yeah, there's a book. Um, I think people would prefer to see someone go up and down through a year and then be successful in, in one year.

Then they come in the program, they put 3000 euros into end homelessness, and we help them get them in a job and back on their feet in two weeks, they'll be like, oh, I didn't get all that. Like, my movie needs to last two hours.

Rex: Wow. Didn't get banged for my buck.

Andrew: So you have different people that look at it in different ways.

Some people that, oh, it's the best investment ever. Let's keep, let's keep going. Like, that's good. And then other people will feel like they were cheated because they expected the person to suffer more.

Rex: I have never heard that. Wow. That's a, that's a really interesting insight.

Andrew: We, the thing is we want to get people in a better place as soon as possible.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: And we have to manage expectations of the support group or also the expectations of those that, um, that, uh, that are receiving support.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: So it's a, it's

Rex: a death. [01:00:00] Yeah. It's an interesting comment. I haven't heard it for donors. I've heard it, of course, about nonprofits, right? Like there is this little bit of a incentive to not fix the problem because it means employment for the people working in that industry.

Right.

Andrew: But no, I think, I think there's a mistake with that. It's just like AI and other things. I think you'd have to evolve because people evolve. So if you help and you don't have to help people in the street, then you need to help them be better in their home.

Rex: Mm-hmm.

Andrew: I much prefer helping someone in a home than in the street.

Rex: Mm-hmm.

Andrew: So being afraid to evolve is a organization, I think is a sad

Rex: Yeah. But that's the criticism, right? That is levied against nonprofits is that they're not, they're not taking that mindset.

Andrew: Yeah. But who's making the, who's criticizing? Like, are they helping the nonprofits or like, like, like I always think, where's the criticism coming from?

Because I did hear the thing about in California how like they couldn't trace 1 billion in money towards homeless community, which I think is quite. Hardcore. Mm-hmm. Like [01:01:00] not being able to know where the money went. Um, so that's obviously a problem for any organization or sector. So I do think it's important to understand like where we want to go.

And I think most people have no idea. And that's where what you're doing and we're doing, I think it's so important because we aim to inspire those. And you can't help a million people, but you can help the ones that you help. And then those stories go much further and that impact goes much further than you can imagine.

And I think that's one of the big challenges because companies that move millions wanna see big numbers.

Rex: Mm-hmm. They do. They wanna see scale

Andrew: and they don't value helping one person.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: But that, that can help so many more, but they can't capture the return on investment with that. So I think that's where we,

Rex: that's where community comes too.

Andrew: The community and also the communication because. If you want large numbers, fine. You can have large numbers. How many people we interact with [01:02:00] to the help plan. You want success stories, fine. You have the help program. You want communication, the videos and the for the voices, videos and all the things that take place in between.

But you have to educate companies too to let them know, like the value of helping one person is tremendous. If someone's homeless at 25 and they're homeless for 15 years, you wanna look at it from an economic standpoint. How much, like how much are they not contributing as taxpayers besides the things that they buy at the grocery store and things like that, right?

So you save a lot of money as well. And on top of, they're contributing. So instead of just receiving, they're also contributing. The, the challenge is how do we find the best place for them to be in which, um, everyone is, is better off. Mm-hmm. And I think that's the biggest challenge because I don't think that most organizations, governments, except really know how to.

To help.

Rex: Yeah. What's the end? What's the end goal here?

Andrew: Yeah.

Rex: I mean, people will argue, can you actually [01:03:00] end homelessness? Right.

Andrew: Well, I always say this, I ask people, do you raise your hand if you think you can end homelessness? Nobody raises their hand. Or some guy with a smirk does. And then I'm like, do you see melody here?

You think it's possible? And homelessness for her? Most everyone raises their hand.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: That's where you gotta start.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: Tough person. Stop debating about whether you can

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: Do something like in the future. Yeah.

Rex: Move a mountain.

Andrew: Well, I say, okay. Yeah. Can you end homelessness for one person? Yes. Do it.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: And then we'll get to the point we, it's hard to help this person. Well, how can we do that? So instead of blocking yourself by saying it's not possible to end homelessness on a global scale, we'll start in homelessness for one person and then, and then people can see that there's a,

Rex: it's doable.

Andrew: Yeah.

You just have to inspire people and remind them that they're. Intellectual human beings that can, can come up with a better solution and behave better.

Rex: Yeah.

Andrew: And then everybody has their own process.

Rex: I love that, Andrew. I'm so glad we got to [01:04:00] talk serious. Yeah, me too. Yeah. Yeah. All beautiful.

Andrew: Yeah. It's a shame we don't have this on video, but I'll definitely remember it 'cause I have two eyes.

Okay.

Rex: I'm gonna turn this off, but I wanna say really, really appreciated this.

Andrew: Nice. Same here.

Rex: Yeah. We wanna give a heartfelt thank you to Andrew for sharing his views on homelessness and for working so tirelessly to make a difference for those in need. You know me now is a project under the nonprofit Facing Homelessness.

It is produced, written and edited by Tomas Bernaski and me, Rex Holbein. Please join the 50,000 plus followers on our very active Facing Homelessness Facebook page and Instagram page where you can join in on the conversation. Thank you for listening to this episode of You Know Me Now.