American Compassion

The relationship we have with our society — how we bank, where and how we receive and pay for healthcare, even our workday — is structured by no accident. It’s all a part of the American safety net, a system in desperate need of repair. But how can we rebuild our systems if we don’t know who first dreamed of a safety net, and why they fought tooth-and-nail to make that vision a reality?

American Compassion: The Safety Net Podcast dives into the rich history of one of the most significant yet unsung facets of American society. It’s a story of revolution, vision, love, dedication, struggle, pain, backroom deals, stolen elections, mishaps, mistakes, misfires, and more.

Our series begins in Texas in 2008, in the middle of the global financial crisis at a call center. Erine Gray overhears a conversation that would change the course of his life and inspire him to build the missing link between people in need and the resources that can help them. To catch his vision for the non-governmental safety net, we must go back to the turn of the last century, when the safety net as we know it today was only an idea, and times were very different.