Empathy Reboot

Empathy Reboot, the flagship podcast of Media Harmonics, seeks to increase understanding about a range of human experiences, belief systems, lifestyles, and political movements. Investigative reporting, combined with long-form interviews, aims to immerse the listener in a topic or character so that the nuance, idiosyncrasy, and specificity of human experience rise to the surface. In the decade since the financial crisis of 2008, the rate of homeless in the US has surged, then regressed. Now the opioid crisis is shaping the face of homelessness, which the public still perceives as predominantly male, middle-aged, alone and struggling with addiction. But families are the fastest growing segment of the homeless population, comprising 40% nationally. This group is being driven onto the street primarily by low wages and the absence of affordable housing. Whether an individual is on their own or struggling to support a family, the holidays are an especially difficult time of year. As the first cold temperatures set in and the rest of the world prepares for the holidays, thousands of people experience for the first time what its like to be without a home. For many, it will be a temporary hardship; for others, it will be another chapter in a long chronic history. In this episode we meet some of these people and uncover their small moments of hope in this season of gratitude. For anyone who is on the street, each step forward, is a step closer to home.