A housing and homelessness advocate, Andrew Anderson is an advocacy speaker for Miriam’s Kitchen and serves on our Guest Advisory Board. He is a former Advocacy Fellow who relied on Miriam’s Kitchen while unhoused. “My experience with Miriam’s Kitchen has always been a joyful one,” he says. “What I do now for them is a return thank-you note. 

Andrew advocates for housing as a human right for those coming out of prison. He emphasizes mental health recovery, the importance of connecting with other people, and the need for low-cost assistance and a medication regimen being available. “I use my story as an example of dealing with those stressors at the same time as finding housing. I stress employment as well.”  

Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Andrew was arrested at 11 and didn’t return from prison until his mid-40s. When he goes back to his old neighborhood where he grew up, there’s new development. He lives life on life’s terms. “I’m not in prison no more. That’s the biggest happiness,” he says. “I have my freedom.”