282: Building Trust & Breaking Myths: Humanizing Housing Insecurity with Joseph Bradford III

Episode 282 of the What the Fundraising podcast, hosted by Mallory Erickson, titled "282: Building Trust & Breaking Myths: Humanizing Housing Insecurity with Joseph Bradford III" was published on February 10, 2026 and runs 28 minutes.

February 10, 2026 ·28m · What the Fundraising

0:00 / 0:00

Summary

Surrounded by myths that prevent real solutions, homelessness and housing insecurity are often misunderstood in the public eye. Requiring more than short-term fixes, it demands empathy, trust, and systemic thinking. In this conversation, Mallory is joined by Joseph Bradford lll to explore how nonprofit leaders balance urgent needs with long-term solutions, build trust within communities, and guide teams to act effectively while keeping people at the center. Join them and gain insight on the value of lived experience in shaping leadership, personal stories behind statistics, and practical steps for people to see beyond misconceptions and create lasting change. Joseph Bradford lll is the founder at B.A.R.E, a Los Angeles-based non-profit organization that provides mentorship, independent living assistance, and wellness services to individuals and families. Having experienced homelessness firsthand by circumstances that were out of his control, Joseph built the foundation of B.A.R.E. after meeting and befriending a homeless person. He has spent over a decade feeding, housing, and advocating for people in need, building trust and systemic solutions across Los Angeles. Through his organization, Joseph proves how lived experience, compassion, and visionary leadership can create meaningful change and humanize populations often misunderstood and overlooked. In this episode, you will be able to: Understand and challenge the common misconceptions about homeless people. Learn how trust and empathy can drive meaningful impact in the nonprofit sector. Gain insights into balancing urgent needs with long-term, systemic solutions. Learn ways that can model compassion and shape understanding for the next generation. Find out how consistency creates long-term impact in communities. Get all the resources from today’s episode here. Support for this show is brought to you by Practivated. Practivated delivers AI-powered donor conversation simulations that let fundraisers practice in a private, judgment‑free space—building confidence, refining messaging, and improving outcomes before the real conversation even begins. Developed by fundraising experts with real‑time coaching at its core, it’s the smart way to walk into every donor interaction calm, prepared, and ready to connect. Learn more at practivated.com. Connect with me: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_malloryerickson/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/whatthefundraising YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@malloryerickson7946 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/mallory-erickson-bressler/ Website: malloryerickson.com/podcast Loved this episode? Leave us a review and rating here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/what-the-fundraising/id1575421652 If you haven’t already, please visit our new What the Fundraising community forum. Check it out and join the conversation at this link. If you’re looking to raise more from the right funders, then you’ll want to check out my Power Partners Formula, a step-by-step approach to identifying the optimal partners for your organization. This free masterclass offers a great starting point.