John Loss joins David Mettler and Timothy Keirnan to talk about his book Not Always Homeless, created from ethnographic interviews with local people who lost their homes. Its subtitle is “The personal stories of 13 people who survived and escaped a life on the streets”.

Mr. Loss was our wood shop teacher in junior high and taught us fundamentals of design for any project, including writing a plan and “measure twice, cut once”, plus the importance of an attractive visual presentation. In this 60 minute episode, we discuss how John published this first book at age 80 based on thorough research with 13 people in the Niagara Falls area of New York State. He then created a 501c3 charity with some fellow concerned citizens to help local people without homes build a more stable life for themselves, called Help and Hope for the Homeless. Why and how do people in America become homeless, and what kinds of assistance have proven to work successfully long term?

John is a living definition of a UX designer’s “empathy” ideal as he presents insightful research and personal anecdotes from helping people in his community. His compassion and expertise as a teacher are  in full view on this new project as he continues to be a positive force of faith and change in the lives of others.

Not Always Homeless… can be purchased on Amazon.

The Niagara Gazette published this article about John’s book and charity.

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