Inside Look at Family/Youth Homelessness: Local Filmmaker, Former Shelter Director, Offers Insights and Solutions

Scholarly endeavors. Photo by Diane Nilan

[Naperville, June 25, 2019] School’s out, but for tens of thousands of kids across Illinois and millions across the country, their lifeline—school—is severed because they have no home. Twenty-five years after Illinois became the first state to remove barriers for homeless students, the work begun in the Fox Valley continues to pay off for students experiencing homelessness across the country. This subject will be highlighted at a film screening on July 12 in Naperville.

Diane Nilan, president of HEAR US Inc., a Naperville-based nonprofit, will share 2 of her short documentaries, a coast-to-coast look at 

Diane Nilan

homelessness—Washington State and New Hampshire—for the monthly Just Views film screening at DuPage Unitarian Universalist Church. 

Nilan, former shelter director at Hesed House in Aurora, and a small group of activists, worked with Fox Valley area legislators to spearhead the Illinois Education for Homeless Children Act which passed 25 years ago. Her film subjects frequently refer to the significance of the federal law that grew from the Illinois statute. 

Nilan’s been living in her van since 2005 and has traveled over 400,000 miles of mostly backroads through 48 mainland states and Hawaii (not in her R.V.), making dozens of films viewed by hundreds of thousands of people worldwide about family and youth homelessness. State education departments hire her to film and produce these short documentaries to highlight the mostly invisible homeless student population. Her work has earned recognition from a variety of organizations. 

A quiet place to do school work just doesn't exist
for kids without homes.
Photo by Diane Nilan

Her documentaries give parents and youth the opportunity to share their stories, debunking many myths about homelessness. Nilan will also explain a legislative effort to address these problems: The Homeless Children and Youth Act -- legislation being considered by U.S. House Finance Committee.  Two Naperville area congresspersons, Bill Foster and Sean Casten, sit on this committee.

The audience will also learn about the HEAR US 2020 VisionQuest journey, launching from Naperville on July 20th. HEAR US VisionQuest 2020, a 9,000-mile, 25-state journey will call attention to invisible family and youth homelessness. 

EVENT DETAILS

This film screening begins at 7:20 pm, and it is free and open to the public. Just Views is sponsored by the DuPage Peace through Justice Coalition. The monthly event is held in Naperville at the DuPage Unitarian Universalist Church at 1828 Old Naperville Road. Event organizers are Stephanie Hughes 630/ 420-4233; Associate Director is Carol Tritschler 630/961-0106.

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HEAR US: Homing In On Homelessness Causes & Cures

       [Naperville, IL, June 21, 2019] Filmmaker Diane Nilan probably knows as much as anyone in the USA about

the trials and tribulations of homeless persons. On July 12, Nilan will return to Just Views, a free monthly film screening event sponsored by the DuPage Peace through Justice Coalition, to screen two of her recent short documentaries featuring homeless families and youth. A short discussion will follow. 

In 2005, Nilan founded a nonprofit organization, HEAR US Inc., to give voice and visibility to the (now) 6,000,000+ American children and youth living in cars and shelters, on the streets, or doubled up with other families. She previously led area shelters (Joliet and Aurora) and was instrumental in legislative efforts to remove barriers to education encountered by students without homes.

Nilan’s been living in her van since 2005 and has traveled over 400,000 miles of mostly backroads through 48 mainland states, and Hawaii (not in her R.V.), making dozens of films viewed by hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. Her work has earned recognition from a variety of organizations. 

    Her documentaries give parents and youth the opportunity to share their stories, debunking many myths about homelessness. Nilan will also explain a legislative effort to address these problems: The Homeless Children and Youth Act -- legislation being considered by U.S. House Finance Committee. Two Naperville area congresspersons, Bill Foster and Sean Casten, sit on this committee.

        The audience will also learn about Nilan’s most ambitious journey, the HEAR US 2020 VisionQuest journey, launching from Naperville on July 20th. 

https://www.hearus.us/projects/awareness/2020.html

This film screening begins at 7:20 pm, and it is free and open to the public. Just Views is sponsored by the DuPage Peace through Justice Coalition. The event is held in Naperville at the DuPage Unitarian Universalist Church at 1828 Old Naperville Road. Event organizers are Stephanie Hughes 630/ 420-4233; Associate Director is Carol Tritschler 630/961-0106.

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NIU Students To Rally for Homeless Children and Youth; Launching HEAR US 10th Year

HEAR US founder Diane Nilan stands alongside
her new motorhome, which serves as her home,
office and vehicle.

[Naperville and DeKalb, IL, Nov. 15, 2014]  Nomadic activist Diane Nilan will enlist students at Northern Illinois University in a grass-roots campaign to increase awareness of homeless families and youth as she screens her latest documentary, Worn Out Welcome Mat, on Nov. 18 for National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness week. 

Nilan launches her 10th year on the road with this NIU event. On Nov. 18, 2005, this former shelter director set out on a quest to chronicle the invisible issue of family and youth homelessness nationwide. She sold her townhouse and purchased a small motorhome which she's lived in since then. Nilan started her nonprofit HEAR US Inc. to give voice and visibility to millions of babies, toddlers, children and youth. NIU professor Laura Vazquez has partnered with Nilan to create several award-winning documentaries. 

Worn Out Welcome Mat features families and youth living in doubled up situations, the most common and most misunderstood manifestation of homelessness. This 20-min film exposes the myths commonly attributed to those with nowhere to go who bounce around in tentative arrangements to avoid sleeping on the streets. Several homeless teens shared their stories.

HEAR US Inc. has actively solicited support for the Homeless Children and Youth Act, a measure being considered in Congress to force HUD to expand their narrow definition of “homeless” to include those doubled up and in non-sheltered situations like motels and campgrounds. Participants at the film screening will be asked to petition their member of Congress to cosponsor this bipartisan legislation.

“Tragically, millions of invisible youth and families pay the price for HUD’s unwillingness to address the true scope of homelessness in America,” Nilan points out. Students can make a difference by their simple act of contacting their Representative, a task made easy on the Take Action page of the website www.helphomelesskidsnow.org. 

The National Coalition for the Homeless created National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness week to encourage non-homeless persons to reflect on the inequities of food and shelter in the United States. Last year over 700 groups participated. NIU has several activities planned for the week. Nilan serves on the board of NCH.

The film and short discussion will take place from 3-4 pm in the Holmes Student Center, Room 305. This event is cosponsored by Poverty & Inequality Research-to-Action Collaborative, Center for NGO Leadership and Development, Department of Psychology, and Department of Public Administration. Admission is free. For information, call the NGOLD Center at 815-753-4410.

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