Finally! I Have a Home!
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 cozy townhouse and my possessions and move into a camper-van. When people heard of my unconventional lifestyle — living in a van full-time — they often thought I was homeless. Well, not really. The lack of a permanent place to live was my choice.
This nomadic lifestyle let me pursue a radical dream — to travel around the country’s backroads filming what kids and families thought about their homelessness and what school meant to them. I knew from years of experience that this issue needed effective spokespersons. Who better than the students affected by school policies and practices that act as barriers to educational stability?
Proceeds from the sale of my townhouse made it possible for me to buy a small camper, a totally new way of living/traveling for me. I started HEAR US Inc., a one-woman nonprofit, to give voice and visibility to families and youth experiencing homelessness. Friends gave me the low-down on filming, another first time venture for me. My board raised enough money so I could buy pro video equipment, pay for gas, and off I went in my camper, clueless about my new adventure.
That seismic change in my life wasn’t as unusual as it sounds, at least from my perspective. My motivation stemmed from my significant involvement with the issue of homeless kids encountering barriers to education. I’ve long been deeply involved with both Illinois and federal efforts to strengthen laws to guide schools on how to remove these barriers. It was and is a steep learning curve for some districts. Quite simply, some schools don’t quite grasp how important educational access and stability is for kids without homes.
What? Me Settle Down?
I’ve spent 18 years on the road, receiving tremendous support and participation from countless people. I’d often be asked when would I settle down. My typical response, “I’ll know when I need to stop.”
One question was where? I’ve seen more of mainland USA than most people ever will, 49 states (Alaska still on my list). I’ve pondered settling in my favorite areas. And I have many places you couldn’t pay me to live.
My next dilemma — what would I live in? I didn’t want an apartment, or a spacious, fancy house. I don’t have abundant riches, so cost is a factor. I have friends all over, and family in the Southeast. I enjoy a variety of settings. Among my favorites, the rugged mountains and plains of New Mexico, lush green coastline of Oregon, the rolling Flint Hills of Kansas, and the rich wooded mountains along North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Parkway.
The NC option offers a bonus — my sis and brother-in-law. I’ve spent plenty of time with them in the years I’ve been traveling. We get along fine, and they have a sweet dog! They have property in a bucolic setting that makes having a camper a possibility. So, when my sis suggested that I could settle down on their land, well, I gave that serious consideration.
My nomadic lifestyle will gradually downshift, though I have plenty of work planned for the next year or so. I’ll keep my Sprinter-camper for project travel. I’m downshifting, not retiring. Who knows when I’ll jump out of the employed category, but I needed to make a decision about a home base before my options narrowed. I took the plunge on May 1 and got my NC license. OFFICIAL!
My choice of “housing” is still mobile. An Airstream Flying Cloud, 28’ of well-designed and well-constructed living space parked amid the abundant tall trees and hearty rhododendrons. The windows, all 19 of them, and the space, make this choice a decadent one. And it’s mobile, just in case! My level of comfort has risen beyond description. I’m a lucky gal!
My camper-van stands ready for the next trips, planned and unplanned. My work for homeless families/youth has plenty of unfinished business, fueled by experience of what a home means. I’ll join with others to push the powers-that-be, many totally clueless about family homelessness, to create the housing options that everyone needs to thrive.
Things About Homelessness You May Not Know
- homeless — many iterations of homelessness federal definition of homelessness
- country’s backroads — lots of homelessness in rural areas
- kids and families thought about their homelessness — my first and arguably best film, My Own Four Walls
- school policies and practices that acted as barriers — recent survey of Illinois school districts highlights 80% of the districts fail to identify students experiencing homelessness, depriving them of essential services and support
- give voice and visibility to families and youth experiencing homelessness. — the back story about my first documentary, the award-winning My Own Four Walls
- homeless kids encountering barriers to education. — school districts often create barriers by not following a strong federal law I helped get passed
- Illinois and federal efforts to strengthen laws to guide schools on how to remove these barriers. — lots of work went into improving access to school for homeless students, starting way back in 1993 in Illinois.
This post is a change from my usual focus on homelessness, but not entirely unrelated. Curious about either my story or family homelessness? Check out my latest book, Dismazed and Driven — My Look at Family Homelessness in America. (or the non-Amazon option)
