Melissa is one of over 1.5 million homeless children and youth struggling to survive in America.
These courageous young people, with parents and without; staying in shelters, motels, abandoned buildings, doubled-up, living in vans, substandard trailers, or as "couch surfers" hopping from one fragile living arrangement to another have one important thing in common: They all have hopes and dreams just like children who have their own four walls.
Melissa said, "It's better to have your own four walls." She's right. Hear her poignant story and stories of the rest of these kids from non-urban communities across the country.
NOW AVAILABLE! My Own Four Walls Pin... ...use this beautiful pin to stir conversation about My Own Four Walls! Great gift for enrollment staff, bus drivers...all who help with homeless students.
MOFW '09 --more content! The acclaimed DVD includes:
My Own Four Walls (compilation, 20 min.) Observations from elementary, middle school and high school students about their experiences of homelessness.
My Own Four Walls (McKinney-Vento liaison/educator series) Elementary, middle school and high school segments (each approximately 8 min.) with McKinney-Vento information.
Life Filled With Benches (13 min.)Two teens share a glimpse of their lives from the streets of a small city.
REACH--Connect Your Children With Education (11 min.) Fast-paced video (view free online) to guide incarcerated parents, caretakers and others about homeless kids' educational rights.
DOWNLOAD FREE -- DISCUSSION GUIDES (PDF) Audiences will gain even more awareness from My Own Four Walls using the comprehensive discussion guide and study/action guide.
PRODUCTION INFORMATION: MOFW was filmed by Diane Nilan, president/founder of HEAR US. She traveled cross-country to small towns, rural areas, resort communities and invited over 75 kids to participate in this unique project. All kids in the videos experienced homelessness. Diane also filmed Life Filled with Benches. REACH was filmed and produced by Diane Nilan and Andrew McCormick.
Post-production activities were handled by Dr. Laura Vazquez, Associate Professor at Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL. The NIU Department of Communication generously contributed use of editing and production equipment.
EXPEDITED SHIPPING AVAILABLE FOR EXTRA CHARGE. CONTACT DIANE
CREDIT CARD PURCHASE:
Fill out the ORDER FORM and fax/mail/scan-email and the order will be processed. For secure credit card processing, you may give Diane numbers directly. Email her to arrange a time for the transaction.
PURCHASE ORDERS are accepted. Prompt payment is appreciated!
*Request for multiple copies of the DVDs for schools, community groups, etc., or other special order requests may be directed to
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, or leave a voicemail at 630-225-5012.
See new THANK YOU GIFT page. See HEAR US website, donations page.
Understanding Homelessness 
