Nomadic Travel for a Purpose.
Will It Make a Difference?
Is it harder to set out on a journey if you have no permanent home? Or does having a cozy place to live, beloved family, and dog who loves me, make it harder to leave? I’m about to find out.
Having spent close to 20 years on the road, living in a little camper as I chronicled family homelessness across our country (www.hearus.us), nomadic life is in my blood.
But last May I established roots in the North Carolina mountains on the edge of my sister/brother-in-law’s property. By choice, a 28’ Airstream Flying Cloud became my home, and delightful one it is. Now I’m shoving off for an extended, multi-purpose trip in my van. I admit to mixed feelings, to say the least. But it’s travel with a purpose, so off I go!
Three Stops: 3 Melissas Beckon
My first stop is to visit the nearest of the three women named Melissa that I met on my original journey, MelissaN in the Florida Panhandle. She and her kids were the first ones I filmed for my classic, award-winning documentary, My Own Four Walls. (Only 20-minutes, it will make you cry.)
MelissaN and the other two Melissas have agreed to share their stories and wisdom to help countless families in similar situations of homelessness. My co-author/friend Diana Bowman and I have gathered their advice and compiled it into Three Melissas Practical Guide to Surviving Family Homelessness (Making Bad a Little Better). We’re planning for the book’s release around Mother’s Day ’24.
This unique, concise how-to compendium will be distributed to homeless families across the nation. Since no one gets lessons on how to survive family homelessness, this is likely the first handbook ever to offer practical suggestions, like how to handle “walking on eggshells” while doubled up in someone’s house (a very common stop along the homelessness journey), or how to stretch food stamps to feed your kids when you don’t have a refrigerator, stove, or place to prepare meals.
To give recognition where it’s due, these three Melissas have gone through incalculable agony in this process. Reliving trauma is never easy. They’re all still teetering on the edge of homelessness. Being this upfront about their inability to be “super” moms they wanted to be hurts (although they are super moms in the truest sense).
But they’re kick-ass women wanting to turn their lemons into lemonade. They’re motivated to share their look-back wisdom so others will have it easier. And they want to help raise awareness of the invisible issue of family homelessness. I welcome the help!
I’ll connect with the other two Melissas, one in Kansas and one in Illinois, in the next few weeks. For their efforts, the Melissas get a modest stipend for their magnificent contributions. We cannot be more excited about the potential of this collection!
30th Anniversary Time in Illinois
Illinois, my home for more than 50 years, has the distinction of being the first state to guarantee the right to education for students experiencing homelessness back in 1994.
I was intrinsically involved in that effort. That issue has occupied much of my waking moments since then. It’s why I’ve been on the road for 20 years chronicling family homelessness, doing what I can to raise the issue of the millions of families enduring the agony of not having a place to live.
Our state law, the Illinois Education for Homeless Children Act, shaped the reauthorization of the federal McKinney-Vento Education for Homeless Children and Youth Act. This little known law removes barriers that too often keep kids from staying in their schools, or getting into a new school if they move away from their previous school. McKinney-Vento (MV) offers significant support to kids when they need it most. It’s a great law! But, civic lesson follows…
Great laws are only great if people know about them and abide by them. Therein lies the problem, in Illinois and other states. Without enforcement, resources, and reinforcement, it’s easy to dismiss obligations. A recent review of Illinois school districts’ compliance with MV reveals a scathingly horrible compliance record. 80% of districts fail to identify students who qualify for and need the support from MV. Some districts in high-poverty areas report ZERO homeless students. Oh, come on!
Illinois in March (Where would I rather be?)
Because I’ve heard 30 years of feedback from parents and students about how wonderful educational access and stability is, I know it’s worth fighting for.
My videos of firsthand accounts of how the support from MV makes a huge difference would make believers of anyone. I’ve been enlisted by 10 state education departments to film MV in action in their states. I’ve filmed family homelessness in more than 20 states, mostly non-urban areas. I’ve written books and articles on this topic. I’ve given countless presentations and intervened for way too many kids being barred from school because of homelessness.
So, one more state has asked that I make a film. Illinois.
I want to find students and their parents who are being denied the education they are entitled to by law and let them tell their stories. Happy 30th EHCA Anniversary, Illinois! Let’s do this better!
