Observations from my 3 Months in New Mexico — I’ve spent the past three months in New Mexico filming family and youth homelessness for the NM Public Education Department’s McKinney-Vento program. With the Land of Enchantment in my rearview mirror, I’m carrying some heavy thoughts that I need to share. Covid Family homelessness got further bumped aside as Covid unleashed…

At the beginning of April, I picked up Dawn Zephier, a Las Cruces mother, and we headed over to City Hall to meet with Mayor Ken… — This marked the launch of my new project, Mamas and Mayors. My one-woman national nonprofit, HEAR US Inc., has focused on family and youth homelessness since I hit the road in my camper 16 years ago shortly before Mayor Ken was elected. …

The Best…or Nothing, Mr. Psillakis (MBUSA CEO) ? — I’m getting a lot of mileage from the MB founder’s quote that I saw on the Kansas City Mercedes-Benz wall a few years ago. Gottlieb Daimler proclaimed “The best or nothing…” Perhaps it’s time for those who carry on in his name to refresh their commitment to the founder’s standard. …

I was facing a form of homelessness. I have resources. Many others are far less ‘fortunate’ as they hit the streets. — After a weekend of #mercedes-benz cage-rattling, and what I’m sure was an, um, assertive call to MB ABQ by a take-no-prisoners friend, I’m scheduled for a #Sprinter van repair visit this Wednesday. I can speculate all I want on how this came about. But that would waste more time on…

I’m seeking honest answers about my plight — Dear Mr. Dimitris Psillakis, I’m pondering my current situation: my Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van-home-office “Tillie 2,” aka T2, currently is in a state of “limp mode” that greatly limits my mobility. (For the backstory, here is the link to my most recent Medium post.) Today’s perplexed state started with grocery shopping…

“Diane Nilan has the patience of a saint. Her followers and supporters do not.” — (friend’s email message to Mercedes-Benz corporate executives) My “saintly patience” has been exhausted by my ongoing saga with Mercedes-Benz over the dangerous deterioration of my Sprinter van. My ire, however, has skyrocketed. Background Back in February 2020 on my Medium blog, I described my frustrating Sprinter saga, pushing for a solution…

A Look at Ukraine and Homelessness in the US — No one much likes February, but March doesn’t fare much better, weather-wise at least. For me, however, March has been a milestone marker.

Feds and States Steal $5.2 Billion+ Welfare Funds — Vindication does no good for the millions of families screwed by the clueless men sitting in our nation’s capitol. We who predicted the inevitable rise of poverty 25 years ago when welfare was slashed were correct. To no surprise, family homelessness also skyrocketed. In the 25 years since Bill Clinton’s…

Legislators Toss Kids into the Trash — My friend Pat LaMarche is fond of quoting me, “We must be a mighty wealthy country if we can afford to throw our kids away.” Never has this been so true. Senators, so you can know what we’re throwing away (don’t you hate it when you inadvertently toss something of…