Darrell's Story: The Veteran’s Dignity

Episode 1 | Imagine Dignity Podcast

On a hot afternoon, I sat on the side of the expressway with my friend Darrell—a 67-year-old veteran who once served this country with pride but now calls the streets home—who offered to be my first interviewee for The Imagine Dignity Podcast.

I can still hear cars passing by as we recorded the first episode and the heat hitting our backs from the pavement nearby.

He told me about his service to this country, the respect he felt in uniform, and the pride he still carries despite everything that has happened since he was put out.

It was deeply humbling to sit next to him as he spoke about his faith in God, how he responds to people who treat him mean, and for him to just share some laughs with me.

Darrell’s story is like that of so many others—people who have served, contributed, and worked but who now find themselves pushed into the shadows of society. Stories like his are at the heart of why I am launching this podcast today.

It isn’t just another look at homelessness through the lens of statistics or policy; it’s about passing the microphone to those who are often silenced by stigma and the harsh realities of life on the streets.

It’s about humanizing the people behind the headlines and the laws.

Here is my first episode here:

Launching something so personal is a very vulnerable place, but I feel a sense of urgency since earlier this week, the State of Florida passed a law¹ that targets people like Darrell.

House Bill 1365, which prohibits camping on streets, sidewalks, and in parks, became state law, making it even harder for the state’s unhoused population of over 31,000 people to survive in an already resource-strapped environment.²

This law makes the experience of homelessness itself a target. And yet, homelessness isn’t slowing down; it’s a growing crisis, with more people becoming unhoused for the first time every day. Without compassion, love, and dignity as guiding values in addressing this issue, these laws only make those experiencing homelessness a target, no matter their personal story.

My friend Darrell did a salute after our interview.

While some may believe that laws like these will help ‘clean up’ cities, they actually punish those who have already been failed by the community and a system that often lacks empathy, treating their very existence as a crime.

When people are forced out of public spaces, where are they supposed to go?

Darrell’s story is just one of many, but it reflects the reality faced by countless others around the country.

Florida’s new law will only make life harder for people without an address in that state and push many more into the shadows.

But we have a choice—we can listen. We can choose to see the humanity in people like Darrell and advocate for policies that lift them up instead of pushing them down.

The Imagine Dignity Podcast is about more than just telling stories—it’s about reclaiming the dignity that is too often stripped from people experiencing homelessness. Each episode will offer a safe space for people like Darrell to speak their truth, share their experiences, and remind us all that homelessness is not just a statistic or a policy issue. It is a deeply human crisis that requires compassion, understanding, and real solutions—not punishment.

May Darrell’s story and voice remind you that behind every policy and statistic, there’s a real person—someone who is more than just a circumstance and deserves to be treated with dignity.

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Order “Zion Learns To See: Opening Our Eyes To Homelessness” [HERE]

If you want to explore homelessness in the U.S., please consider reading “I See You: How Love Opens Our Eyes to Invisible People.”

Explore my book “When We Stand: The Power of Seeking Justice Together” to learn about the impact of community involvement and collective action on social change.

Discover “All God’s Children: How Confronting Buried History Can Build Racial Solidarity to gain insight into the significance of understanding the historical narratives that shape people and how you might stand in solidarity with your neighbor.

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1. LeFever, Alan. “What’s Tampa Bay Doing to Prepare for Florida’s New Homelessness Law?” Tampa Bay Times, October 3, 2024. https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida/2024/10/03/homeless-law-desantis-what-is-tampa-bay-pinellas-st-petersburg-doing-to-prepare/.

2. Florida Passes Law Making Homelessness a Target.” AP News, September 27, 2023. https://apnews.com/article/florida-homeless-ban-poverty-a70d27efb0ec5f41bfb3d6c2facc8f84.