A documentary podcast · Hosted by Randall Terrell
Homeless Dad
I grew up knowing my dad was homeless. This is my search to understand who he was.
Through family stories, forgotten records, and conversations with people living on the streets today.
A documentary podcast · Hosted by Randall Terrell
I grew up knowing my dad was homeless. This is my search to understand who he was.
Through family stories, forgotten records, and conversations with people living on the streets today.
Episode 1 · 00:01
“I was about nine or ten when I learned my dad was sleeping in his car. I knew there was something wrong with sleeping in your car.”
About the show
My dad, Ed Terrell, was homeless for much of my life. It was a fact everyone in my family understood, and no one fully explained. The dad I remember was a tall, lanky guy who loved motorcycles and taught us to ride. Then, visit by visit, he became someone else — someone I recognized less and less.
Homeless Dad is my attempt to put the pieces together: who he was before, what happened to him, and what his life looked like from the inside. I talk with my family about the memories we carry — and the ones that don't match. I dig through the records a life leaves behind. And here in the Antelope Valley, where the homeless crisis stands out as stark as the desert landscape, I sit down with people living on the streets right now, whose stories help me understand his.
If you've ever watched someone you love drift out of reach, this search is for you too.
Episodes
Season 1 · Episode 1 · July 1, 2026 · 22 min
I grew up knowing my dad was homeless, but I never really understood how he got there. In this first episode, I share the memories that shaped my view of him, revisit conversations with my sister, introduce you to people living on the streets today, and explain why I’ve begun this search.
New episodes will appear here automatically as they’re released. Between episodes, the journey continues on Instagram — follow @homelessdadpod for updates. You can also listen on Buzzsprout or subscribe with the RSS feed in any podcast app.
Photos
My sister sat down with the family photographs and turned them over one at a time. These are those pages — the faces, the years, the pieces I’m still trying to fit together.
More photographs, records, and artifacts go up on Instagram as the search continues — follow @homelessdadpod to see them first.
Join the search
“Maybe you also have a dad or a mom, a sister or brother, an uncle or aunt who you know is on the street — and maybe you've got questions too. I hope to hear from you. Together, maybe we can figure that out.”