Tri-City Couple's Promise Gives Hope to Homeless Families

Naperville, Sept. 17, 2008 -- Selling their beloved Geneva restaurant Chez Francois two years ago, owners Chef Francois and Betsy Sanchez promised to honor their commitment to help homeless children through HEAR US, Diane Nilan’s unique nonprofit organization that gives voice and visibility to homeless children and youth. That promise is being honored on October 4th as the Sanchez’s will prepare a gourmet meal for up to 120 lucky diners.

The Bene-Feast, as this fundraising dinner has been dubbed, will feature Sanchez’s signature dish, paella, and specially made accompanying dishes. Bethlehem Lutheran Church in St. Charles is donating use of their hall for the event which will attract diners from as far away as Chicago. Local merchants from the Tri-Cities, Aurora, and Naperville have donated sizable raffle prizes. “We are so excited to be able to provide significant help to this amazing organization,” states Betsy Sanchez. “The help that HEAR US provides is extended to homeless families nationwide.”

HEAR US (www.hearus.us) is a national nonprofit that gives voice and visibility to homeless children and youth. Diane Nilan, a longtime Fox Valley advocate for homeless adults and children and former shelter director at Hesed House, started this unique organization over 3 years ago as a means to advocate for policies and actions to alleviate homelessness among families and teens. She sold her Aurora townhouse and purchased an RV which has served as her home and office as she traveled over 65,000 miles of typically backroads seeking out young homeless spokespersons.

Nilan points to some significant successes already under HEAR US’ belt: winning a major national award for “My Own Four Walls,” her documentary featuring over 75 homeless children and teens from non-urban parts of the country, produced by Northern Illinois University media professor Dr. Laura Vazquez; passage of a long-sought federal law to remove barriers to college for homeless unaccompanied teens; and testifying to Congress, staving off (for now) attempts to limit federal help for homeless families. “We have much more to do,” states Nilan. “Homelessness among families and teens is skyrocketing and we want to create a ‘compassion epidemic’ to provide relief as we fight for more resources.”

HEAR US doesn’t typically qualify for grants because it does not provide direct service, so Nilan and her Fox Valley board rely on special events, like the Bene-Feast, as well as sales of My Own Four Walls DVD and tax-deductible donations to continue the HEAR US mission.
Rising gas costs and a troubled economy loom as big concerns, but Nilan reflects, “Families in crisis face worse troubles each day. We’ve increased our support base because we’ve successfully focused on core issues and policies that could reduce homelessness nationwide. The faith that Francois and Betsy have in our mission, and the promise I’ve made to countless homeless kids nationwide keeps us believing that support will arrive in time.”
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For tickets or more information, contact Nilan at 630/225-5012, diane@hearus.us.
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Honoring Two DuPage Legislators for Work with Homeless Families

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release Contact Diane Nilan 630-267-5424

[Naperville, Sept. 18, 2008] Retired State Representative Mary Lou Cowlishaw (R-Naperville) teamed up with Congresswoman Judy Biggert (R-IL-13) to remove barriers often keeping homeless children from school. For their extensive efforts both women will be honored by HEAR US, Diane Nilan’s unique nonprofit organization that gives voice and visibility to homeless children and youth. They will be recognized on October 4th at the HEAR US “Bene-Feast” fund raising dinner.

The Bene-Feast will feature Tri-Cities’ Chef Francois and Betsy Sanchez’s signature dish, paella, and specially made accompanying dishes. Bethlehem Lutheran Church in St. Charles is donating use of their hall for the event which will attract diners from as far away as Chicago. Local merchants from the Tri-Cities, Aurora, and Naperville have donated sizable raffle prizes. “We are delighted to pay homage to the two women who have for years pursued opportunities for homeless children,” exclaims Diane Nilan.

HEAR US (www.hearus.us) is the Naperville-based national nonprofit that gives voice and visibility to homeless children and youth. Diane Nilan, a longtime Fox Valley advocate for homeless adults and children and former shelter director at Hesed House, started this unique organization over 3 years ago as a means to advocate for policies and actions to alleviate homelessness among families and teens. She sold her Aurora townhouse and purchased an RV which has served as her home and office as she traveled over 65,000 miles of typically backroads seeking out young homeless spokespersons.

Nilan points to some significant successes already under HEAR US’ belt: winning a major national award for “My Own Four Walls,” her documentary featuring over 75 homeless children and teens from non-urban parts of the country, produced by Northern Illinois University media professor Dr. Laura Vazquez; passage of a long-sought federal law to remove barriers to college for homeless unaccompanied teens; and testifying to Congress, staving off (for now) attempts to limit federal help for homeless families.

Mayor George Pradel of Naperville will stand in for Mrs. Cowlishaw who is unable to attend the event. He’s encouraging leadership from the entire DuPage Mayors and Managers Conference to attend.

HEAR US doesn’t typically qualify for grants because it does not provide direct service, so Nilan and her Fox Valley board rely on special events, like the Bene-Feast, as well as sales of My Own Four Walls DVD and tax-deductible donations to continue the HEAR US mission.
Rising gas costs and a troubled economy loom as big concerns, but Nilan reflects, “Families in crisis face worse troubles each day. We’ve increased our support base because we’ve successfully focused on core issues and policies that could reduce homelessness nationwide. Having such superb leadership on the critical issue of homeless kids being able to get into school has made all the difference for countless children. HEAR US is committed to find resources to continue our mission.”

For tickets or more information, contact Nilan at 630/225-5012, diane@hearus.us.
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HOMELESS KIDS' ALERT 7-13-08

TWO MINUTES to MAKE HOMELESS KIDS COUNT!

Now is the time--we need you to help homeless families and teens! A 2 minute call can make a big difference! ON TUESDAY, JULY 15, the US House Financial Services subcommittee meeting is scheduled to act on a critical bill that affects homeless families and teens. THE ISSUE: HUD is fighting to greatly limit help for homeless families and teens by keeping a NARROW DEFINITION. We want a more realistic definition which includes families/teens, who because of hardship and loss of housing, stay in motels or doubled-up with others.

THE SCOOP: Sadly, despicable tactics have gutted the HEARTH Bill, HR 840, which we supported, and the new version STINKS! CLICK HERE to read Diane's blog for the scoop....

ACTION: We need everyone possible (READ--FLOOD) to call legislators on MONDAY (or fax before Tues.), especially members of the FINANCIAL SERVICES COMMITTEE, to urge 2 steps:

1. VOTE NO for the "manager's amendment" to HR 840. Pull the bill until it can be re-worked.

2. If another amendment addresses MAKING HOMELESS KIDS COUNT with HUD, vote YES for it.

IF YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS SITS ON THE FINANCIAL SERVICES COMMITTEE: it is essential to have as many people as possible from your community contact her/him.

IF YOUR MEMBER IS NOT on the committee contact your rep to urge them to request their colleagues to vote as above.

WHEN YOU CALL: Ask for the person who handles HUD issues. Briefly tell them you're calling about HR 840, and ask them to VOTE NO for the MANAGER'S AMENDMENT to HR840, and to VOTE YES for the amendment to MAKE HOMELESS KIDS COUNT.

TO FIND OUT WHO YOUR CONGRESSPERSON IS...CLICK HERE and type in your zip code (9-digit) in the upper left-hand corner of the page. Phone and fax numbers are on the website. CLICK HERE for FINANCIAL SERVICES COMMITTEE members. NOTE: Calls and faxes will be most effective for this effort.

Monroe County NY Stats

Formatting problems prevent the stats from being viewable. Email me at diane@hearus.us and I'll send a pdf file with the complete report.

Sorry!
Diane

Monroe County NY School District Report Card

HEAR US Inc.

…giving voice and visibility to homeless kids...

June 30, 2008

Dear Monroe County Superintendents,

HEAR US is pleased to release the 2007-08 Monroe County School District Report Card indicating progress on identifying and serving homeless students in your county. As with most report cards, it is just a measurement that may or may not show need for improvement and it does not reflect your district’s attitude regarding homeless students.

Under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, schools must identify children and youth in homeless situations and provide appropriate services. Realizing that it is sometimes difficult to identify homeless students, several resources exist to guide and assist your district. The New York State Education Department provides superb technical assistance and materials through NYS Technical Education Assistance Center for Homeless Students, TEACHS. A complete array of online resources is available at www.serve.org/nche. HEAR US has created a very useful and powerful tool: My Own Four Walls, a series of documentaries featuring students talking about their experiences of homelessness and education.

Now, onto the report card…

This report uses poverty statistics by district to gauge the potential number of homeless students in your area. Using a very conservative number, 10% of children/youth in poverty in your district who will likely experience homelessness, HEAR US examined the number of homeless students identified by your district. Factored in was improvement from 2005 to 2006 if your district increased its number of students identified.

Although each school district is required to have a trained homeless liaison to facilitate identification and enrollment of homeless students, the overall responsibility to respectfully identify and assist homeless students is best accomplished by a district-wide approach. Sensitivity is increased and enrollment delays eliminated if your entire staff understand the importance of this challenge.

Unfortunately, homelessness is on the increase as poverty grows and foreclosures soar. Making sure homeless students have access to education will yield positive results for the students, their families, and their communities.

Please consider this report card a baseline indicator of Monroe County’s school districts efforts to properly identify homeless students. It is a work in progress. I will be happy to provide assistance to your districts so you may better identify, enroll and serve homeless students.

Sincerely,

HEAR US Inc.

Diane Nilan

President

OVERALL
Numbers on the enclosed report are indicators of how many students were identified as homeless in Monroe County. All districts have room for improvement. Compliance with the law (Subtitle VII-B of the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act, reauthorized by Title X, Part C, of the No Child Left Behind Act) isn’t the only reason. Homeless students can thrive in a stable, safe learning environment.

Even districts that scored lower in identifying homeless students are not far from turning in a better performance indicator next year.

The less poverty a district has, the harder it is to identify homeless students. Why? Because families and teens who lose their housing due to hardship—economic, domestic violence, natural disaster, personal set-backs—tend to want to avoid attention. They often fear that being identified as “homeless” will involve child protection authorities. Besides, it’s embarrassing.

Those who have scored higher identifying homeless students have a few tricks of the trade:

· They know addresses of motels or shelters (although few areas outside Rochester have shelters).

· They have trained enrollment personnel to be sensitively alert to signs of homelessness at the time families enroll or as youth attempt to enroll on their own.

· They know the definition of homeless extends beyond the obvious of living in a shelter or on the streets.

· They have set up communication within the district so people know who to contact if they suspect a student might be homeless.

· They have publicized the rights of homeless students in places where homeless families and teens will see them.

· They continually work to de-stigmatize homelessness among staff and students.

· They know what local agencies assist families or teens in homeless situations and encourage two-way communication.

· They are alert to natural disasters that displace low-income families.

· They care.

POVERTY, NOT THE ONLY INDICATOR

While poverty certainly is a major factor in homelessness, it is not the only one. The leading cause of homelessness among families is domestic violence, something that affects all income levels and is an incident that tends to not be talked about by those involved. Homeless teens often become homeless because of abuse in the home—of all income levels.

If a district has any poverty, and all Monroe County districts do, then it is likely that AT LEAST 10% of those in poverty will experience homelessness: eviction or foreclosure causes them to move in with family/friends or into motels, moving often as the current arrangement falls apart; natural disaster, forces families with scant resources to turn to family/friends, or motels, once short-lived assistance from disaster agencies runs out; break-up of marriages or relationships forces people out of the family residence; income/credit problems; and/or safety issues, physical, sexual and/or emotional abuse which renders their living situation untenable.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS
For any district to report 0 homeless students is a red flag. Even affluent districts will have students who fit the definition of homeless. It takes some effort on the part of the district’s liaison and other school personnel to be alert to homelessness.

Districts that were ranked higher for their abilities did not just accidentally identify homeless students. They’ve worked to establish an environment that makes it easier. Kudos to them, but don’t rest! Homelessness is increasing.

If your district showed improvement from the ’05 to the ‘06 years, that’s a good sign. Keep trying. Sensitizing staff and working with your local community will yield even better results next year.

FINALLY

Feel free to contact HEAR US for more information about resources available to school districts and communities. Also, excellent resources are available through NYS TEACHS and the National Center for Homeless Education.

Thanks for your efforts on behalf of all homeless students.

HEAR US Inc.

Diane Nilan

President

PRESS RELEASE: HEAR US! Disc Us!

For Immediate Release

Contact Diane Nilan, 630-267-5424

HEAR US! Disc Us! Project Links Homeless Kids and Disc Golf

What do disc golf and homeless kids have in common? Both are often obscure, with only insiders knowing of their existence. HEAR US, a Naperville-based national nonprofit organization that gives voice and visibility to homeless children and youth, recently received a grant that will lift both disc golf and homeless kids out of obscurity.

The Professional Disc Golf Association (PDGA) awarded HEAR US a grant to promote this sport which involves throwing a Frisbee-like disc at a chain-link basket on a course resembling a golf course. The nationally-competitive grant will enable HEAR US to invite homeless kids to experience the sport that has hooked HEAR US founder Diane Nilan and her longtime friend and board member Sister Helen Jilek, a Benedictine Sister from Lisle.

Nilan describes “HEAR US! Disc Us!” as an effort “to call attention to the great game of disc golf with the goal of increasing participation in the sport.” She also intends “to raise awareness of the existence of homeless families and teens in communities, with hopes to ease the suffering of these kids by developing local support for initiatives to help them.” Over 1.5 million children and youth are homeless in this country.

HEAR US is planning a disc golf outing with the children staying at the Hope Haven shelter in DeKalb where Nilan sometimes parks her home-office recreational vehicle. After selling her Aurora home and possessions, Nilan bought the RV so she could film a documentary about non-urban homeless kids. She’s traveled over 60,000 miles and produced a documentary to put homeless kids on the radar screen of educators, politicians and the public. My Own Four Walls, the award-winning HEAR US documentary, is available through the HEAR US website, www.hearus.us.

Hope Haven is the only shelter in DeKalb County. They provide a full spectrum of services for homeless families and adults including emergency and transitional shelters which tend to run at capacity, often with 25 children there with their families. Executive Director Lesly Wicks enthusiastically welcomed the chance for HEAR US to introduce disc golf with the kids. “It’s a great game!” states Wicks, who was introduced to the game by Nilan. “And if it helps raise awareness of homeless kids it will be worth it.”

As Nilan commences travel around the country this fall she will line up other opportunities for homeless kids to participate with HEAR US, Disc Us! She raises awareness of homelessness by presenting to educators, colleges, and service providers across the country. HEAR US is currently working on a feature-length documentary on homeless families with Dr. Laura Vazquez, media professor at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb.

An exasperated Nilan points to a current battle in Congress to expand the definition of homeless to include families and teens not staying in shelters. “What many people don’t get, including Congress, is invisible homeless families struggling to survive often stay with other families or in motels because shelters can’t handle them,” Nilan reflects. Playing disc golf with homeless kids is her perfect anecdote to balance the insanity of this longstanding campaign.

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Homelessness 101: New Children's Book Illustrates Disaster-Related Homelessness

Pat Van Doren, HEAR US board member and founder of "It's About the Children,"
was recently interviewed about her newest children's book, A Family of Five or Six.
Read the Naperville Sun story.