20 years ago I divested myself of most of my belongings to move into a small RV to pursue a crazy idea of chronicling family/youth homelessness (www.hearus.us). I had never been inside an RV, but I knew I couldn't have stuff other than bare essentials. After 19 years full-time on…

Compassion Isn’t the Cause of Homelessness — Now as a Watauga County, NC resident, I’m paying attention to issues important to me. Homelessness. When I read this article about a meeting with Boone, NC town council, the police chief and the local shelter, I couldn’t help but respond. I was surprised/pleased that the Watauga Democrat ran my…

Homeless Kids Need Help, Not Barriers — While I often can’t remember what I did a couple hours earlier, my memory of 30 years ago this August is etched in my head, heart and life. To my dismay, I’ve learned that what we accomplished — passage of hallmark legislation to strengthen and protect the educational rights of…

School Districts Routinely Fail Homeless Students — If school is so important, why do schools nationwide fail to do what is required to enroll and educate countless* students experiencing homelessness? While school supply distributions and backpack drives aim to equip our nation’s impoverished students to head back to school, little attention is directed at millions of invisible…

Americana Meditation Shows the Best, Worst and In-Between — We don’t like long — stories, videos, or anything that takes us away from the nano-second scrolling we’ve succumbed to. When I concocted this project — Americana Meditation — I accepted that I couldn’t make it short. For good reason. I made it anyhow. Set aside 17 minutes for a…

"Because many with BPD have histories of extensive early trauma, including abuse and neglect, some did emotionally and developmentally fall behind others who did not experience trauma." I'm constantly dismazed* at how we as a society seem to ignore the impact of abuse and neglect. Then we're surprised that people…

My Unconventional Efforts for Homeless Families/Youth Fosters Appreciation for My New Home (with essential footnotes) — “Home, sweet home,” an utterance I’ve not known for the past 18 years. A major life change, filled with the unknown is in the works, giving me what millions in this country lack — a place to call home. Way back in 2005, I chose to rid myself of my…

So many people can benefit by your simple, spot-on assessment. We wonder why we behave the way we do when we know better. This!

Naperville, IL, one of the best cities in the country, has again grabbed headlines for extraordinary accomplishments. James Holzhauer, a product of Naperville’s excellent school systems, just captured Jeopardy’s Masters championship, raking in a cool half-million for his brainy abilities. This professional gambler, now living in the Las Vegas area…