[Naperville, 8/28/13] If she could, Diane Nilan would amass 3,000 children outside
the Janesville
This silver-haired advocate, with decades of experience
working with homeless families nationwide, will park her unmistakable motorhome Tillie—
her living quarters, office and vehicle—outside his office at 20 S. Main Street
to represent not only the 3,000 homeless students in Ryan’s District 1, but
also the 1 million+ homeless students in the U.S. She’ll deliver hundreds
of petitions signed by people across the country urging Ryan to listen to what
kids say about their homelessness.
“These kids are the tip of the iceberg, the canaries in the
mine shaft, embodying the soaring poverty and homelessness among families and
youth in our country,” lamented Nilan. “I can’t let him propose such draconian
cuts in ignorance.” Billions would be slashed from vital programs that feed,
house and heal homeless families if Ryan’s budget passes.
To make her point, Nilan will present Ryan, or his staff,
with My Own Four Walls, an award-winning, poignant documentary she made
featuring kids talking about their experiences of homelessness and what school
means. She’ll also deliver the recently released American Almanac of Family Homelessness and hundreds of petitions signed by voters across the country.
Frustrated by the lack of hopeful signs at the hearing Ryan
held a month ago, “War On Poverty: A Progress Report,” Nilan started planning.
The hearing’s only credible witness, according to Nilan, was Sister Simone
Campbell, the head of NETWORK, who has worked with people in poverty. She was
given little time to make the case against offsetting the cost of war and tax
cuts by ravaging the nation’s poorest and most vulnerable citizens.
Since Janesville isn’t far from the western suburbs of
Chicago where she parks in between her filming and speaking engagements, Nilan
decided to make the trip. She invited the Congressman to ride with her for a
tour of his district’s poverty and homelessness, but realizes his schedule
might not permit.
For the past 8 years, this intrepid activist has traveled
over 167,000 miles of mostly backroads, filming kids and families sharing what
it was like to be homeless. She started HEAR US Inc., her nonprofit, in 2005 following
a long stint of running shelters and working with schools to make sure homeless
students were properly enrolled, fighting on their behalf if they were not.
Nilan worked hand-in-hand with Republican (retired) Congresswoman Judy Biggert
to enact the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Act. So it’s not partisan, she’s
quick to emphasize.
To fuel her fire, Nilan will spend Thursday evening with
homeless families in Madison, filming their stories. “These kids and parents
have a lot to say about their plight and promise, but lack the opportunity to
share their wisdom,” she pointed out. “I’m their instrument.”
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