Serendipity and Need: Doc and Homeless Advocate Reconnect

September 19, 2014

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release

Contact: Diane Nilan, 630/267-5424

Diane Nilan (L) and Karen Maloney inside Tillie, the
good Karma motorhome being exchanged. 

[Naperville, IL] “Dialing for docs” 20 years ago connected Diane Nilan, former shelter director at

Hesed House in Aurora with Dr. Karen Maloney, a physician from the St. Charles area. Nilan was recruiting volunteer medical personnel for Rainbow Clinic at the former incinerator turned shelter. On Monday, Nilan will hand over the keys to her motorhome to Maloney, solving a problem for both women.

The two met again at a volunteer mission in Tanzania in 2013. “It was great to catch up and learn that our paths never veered too far away,” said Nilan, founder/president of a one-woman national nonprofit, HEAR US Inc., giving voice and visibility to homeless children and youth.

Nine years ago, she sold her townhome and 

Nilan and Tillie in Nevada

most of her stuff to purchase a 27’motorhome to enable her to chronicle homelessness among millions of children, youth and families nationwide. Nilan put on 183,000 miles as she filmed several award-winning documentaries and conducted countless presentations to raise awareness of kids and parents with nowhere to go.

The time came to sell “Tillie the Turtle,” her 9-year-old motorhome, and only home, but Nilan could find no buyers. Maloney, starting a program to provide medical care to uninsured residents and homeless persons in the western suburbs, needed a motorhome, but her nonprofit Carein' Connections lacked the funds to buy one. Nilan happened to mention she was trying to sell Tillie. Serendipity? Perhaps.

On Monday, Nilan will hand over Tillie’s keys to her doc-friend, knowing that the legacy of this roadworthy motorhome will continue. Maloney will adapt the inside space to provide medical care and other services to those who lack resources for basic human needs, especially medical care.

Wednesday, after an early morning prayer breakfast presentation in Joliet, Nilan will point her rental van to Austin, TX where her new set of wheels await. She’s downsizing, making it possible for her to pursue stories of homeless children and youth in far off places in a more economically and ecofriendly fashion.

Her first Tillie2 trip will be with her “Babes of Wrath” pal Pat LaMarche on a trip to Colorado, Wyoming and Montana. The intrepid travelers have dubbed their trip “Homeless on the Range,” designed to call attention to homelessness, even on a Native American reservation.

Maloney and her colleagues need to quickly shape and stock Tillie into the medical miracle van that will serve hundreds of uninsured, desperate adults and kids.

These two nonprofits, and their unique founders, will carry on their essential missions, knowing that their paths will inevitably cross, and that lots of people will be better for it.

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Homeless Mother’s Day Tribute: Suffer In Silence No More

Seven women share their stories of homelessness that resound nationwide and throughout

Melissa, one of the OTE women

affluent DuPage County.

[Naperville, IL, April 29, 2013] The award-winning documentary, on the edge: Family Homelessness in America, riveting stories of seven women’s experiences of homelessness, returns to Naperville Friday, May 10, 7 pm, the monthly feature of DuPage Peace With Justice Coalition’s Just Views film night.

“This is a timely event, on Mother’s Day weekend, because of millions of invisible mothers who experience homelessness,” points out Diane Nilan, founder and president of HEAR US Inc., a Naperville-based national nonprofit to give voice and visibility to homeless families. Nilan and Professor Laura Vazquez filmed and produced the documentary, which has won several honors and has aired on PBS.

Listening to mothers speak of their path to and through homelessness gives a perspective not often considered, according to Nilan, a national authority on this issue. “The audience response to this film continues to be quite gratifying," she pointed out. She’s screened OTE to a variety of audiences from Congress to corrections’ facilities to colleges as she’s traveled for the past 8 years in her small motorhome on her mission to incite a “compassion epidemic” to address homelessness. “Audiences hear the stories of experts, women who capably articulate the challenges of homelessness from their day-to-day struggles. As sad as their stories are, they are also inspiring.”

The film has relevance here in DuPage, one of the wealthiest counties in the country. Many families experiencing homelessness in the area are invisible, not staying at shelters. With over 17,000 in the county living in deep poverty, half the poverty level, thousand of families and individuals fall into and face a steep climb out of homelessness, with shelter beds full and subsidized housing unavailable.  The sequester and continuing economic unrest will add to these numbers.

Nilan will lead a discussion following the film screening. The event, held at the DuPage Unitarian Universalist church, 1828 Old Naperville Rd., Naperville, is open to the public, no charge. Copies of the on the edge DVDs will be available for sale at the event, $30. Info http://jv.dupagepeacethroughjustice.org or http://hearus.us.

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Most Important News of the Day

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release

Contact: Pat LaMarche epicjourney10@gmail.com

                    Diane Nilan diane@hearus.us, 630-267-5424

                    Mary Ann Parks maryannparks@gmail.com

This Is the Most Important News of the Day

Homeless People Around the Nation Would Beg You to Cover It: 

If they weren’t busy begging for a home.

Long time homeless advocates, Diane Nilan and Pat LaMarche, begin a 4600 mile trek across the lower half of the wealthiest nation in the world on Monday.  But with the inaugural, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and the National Rifle Associations’s Gun Appreciation day, the cause of homelessness is at risk of receiving little no coverage at all.  

Pat LaMarche (L) and
Diane Nilan at a screening
of "on the edge: Family
Homelessness in America,"
in Mobile, AL 2/11

“Not one of these 'bigger stories' is independent of the issue of homelessness.  President Obama’s re-election and consequent 2nd inaugural came about in no small part because his opponent, Gov. Mitt Romney, maligned the needy in his infamous 47% quote,” explained LaMarche.  “One of our greatest civil rights advocates who we honor this week spoke of the economic and social ills which plagued our nation and subjugated its people,” continued LaMarche. 

“And then there’s domestic violence – which cannot be separated from the other issues of gun violence in this nation – which is a leading cause of homelessness. We predict that not a single sound bite will be devoted to this national scourge.  How can anyone wave a flag in patriotism knowing that millions of their countrymen languish in poverty?” queried Nilan, founder and director of HEAR US, a national advocacy group for homeless children, youth and their families. 

So these two women –  who have both authored books about their experiences living with, working with, and living as homeless people – will set out across the nation to share the experience of a new year’s homeless population. 

“Some places we go we’ll talk about what we’ve learned in our years working with the poor and disenfranchised, but more often we’ll listen,” explained LaMarche who will be gathering new material for her writing.  “And Diane will screen her award winning documentaries about the homeless folks she’s encountered.” 

“Most of all,” Nilan added, “we hope to help the advocates on the ground in local America, USA, to tell their stories to their local media.  Once you get to know people experiencing homelessness, you realize it’s not an us/them issue: it’s an all of us issue.”

Links to LaMarche and Nilan’s books as well as Nilan’s documentaries are available at www.hearus.us The map of their journey as well as itinerary are available there as well as at the EPIC Journey facebook page.  https://www.facebook.com/EPICJourney2010

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Better Than an Oscar!

Getting people to leave their homes on the opening night of the much-awaited fall television season is no easy task, especially to see a documentary about women and children without homes. But close to 300 people came from near and far to watch on the edge, our documentary film in the Naperville Independent Film Festival screened Monday, 9/19, at the venerable Ogden 6 Theater.

Watching the crowd amass was exciting, especially because it was a mixture of people I knew from my days prior to my running the PADS shelter at Hesed House and a considerable slew of folks who responded to Bridge Community’s urging for people to see our award-winning documentary. Having screened our year-old film countless times, I could judge the audience’s engagement by their chuckles, their silence, and their palpable angst as the 7 courageous women in this film shared their heart-wrenching stories of traversing in and out of homelessness.

The opportunity to participate in Naperville's festival was an unplanned opportunity—Glessna and Edmond Coisson attended our HEAR US Inc. tribute to Mary Lou Cowlishaw last October at North Central College. The tribute included the premiere screening of on the edge and resulted in the Coisson’s inviting our film’s director, Laura Vazquez, associate professor of communication at Northern Illinois University, to the festival.

One key reason for the record crowd at the delightfully friendly and refurbished Ogden 6 theater was the push by Bridge Communities to have their current and prospective volunteers and supporters attend prior to their ambitious “Sleep Out Saturday” this year set for Nov. 5^th. Bridge leaders rightly figure if more people understand homelessness from homeless families' point of view, compassion and action will ensue.

With what seems to be a growing discord about the need to help families and individuals struggling for survival, the crowd at this film was on the far opposite end of the spectrum. My challenge urging them to participate in a “compassion epidemic” brought cheers instead of jeers. This positive energy gives a huge boost to those of us engaged in helping stave off the devastation of homelessness. My Naperville-based nonprofit organization, HEAR US Inc., continues to give voice and visibility to homeless children and youth through projects like on the edge.

Little did I know that in November 2005 when I left the Naperville border heading out on my unconventional sojourn—to chronicle faces and voices of homeless kids from across the nation for My Own Four Walls—that I’d be heading out for my 7^th cross-country trip and our country would be in an economic quagmire that makes previous times of trouble pale. With the child poverty rate at a record high 22%, dark clouds loom on the horizon, especially for homeless families with toddlers, the subject of our new film, Littlest Nomads (in production).

My journey away from DuPage County begins Monday. Starting tomorrow I’ll be sporting new signage on my road-weary motorhome/office thanks to a generous collaboration with Design Resource Center and FastSigns, both Naperville businesses with a track record of benevolence. I’ll be venturing out to share a message of painful reality—soaring family homelessness at a time of conflicting political will—but I will recall the surge of compassion from the crowd that stepped from their comfort zones and comfortable homes to learn from these seven experts on homelessness. It’s better than an Oscar!

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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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