Each family HEAR US has interviewed across the country has expressed the same desperate lament—we want to find a place to live! Their various forms of homelessness have rendered them invisible to all except the school district’s homeless liaison. HEAR US Inc., the one-woman national nonprofit organization giving voice and visibility to families and youth experiencing homelessness, aims to empower families to be heard in their local community via the New Day Dawning - Mamas and Mayors initiative. 

Kids and parents struggle to survive in communities large and small; rural, urban, and suburban. Mostly invisible, they double up, stay in motels, sleep in vehicles, tough it out in abandoned buildings, and worse. What they have in common — they’re not identified in HUD’s homeless count so their existence goes unnoticed, and their plight unaddressed. 

The pandemic worsened things, but family homelessness is not a new issue; few pay attention. Powerless parents, focused on survival, and petrified about child welfare authorities stepping in to take their kids, maintain a low profile. Thus, they are typically not the “squeaky wheel that gets the grease.” That can change with launching of the HEAR US New Day Dawning - Mamas and Mayors project. 

Of elected officials across the land, mayors are the most common and accessible. It’s their job to be concerned about their local residents. They also have the ears of elected officials—county, state and federal representatives. Chances are, mayors are clueless about the extent of family homelessness in their communities. That’s where the mamas come in….

If just a handful of courageous mamas sit down and talk to their mayors, explaining the circumstances and challenges of their families’ situations, and ask the mayors for help—immediate and systemic—the mayors can step up and push for improvements. In addition to possibly connecting families to local resources, the mayors may see the wisdom in urging resources and solutions from state and federal officials. After all, what mayor would want to know babies, infants, toddlers and children are suffering in their communities?

Most people don’t know much about how their elected officials should be working for them. It can be intimidating. Those who help families with essential needs (e.g., school liaisons) typically would be ideal to make this happen. 

HEAR US has produced a (free) simple guide to help families make this somewhat daunting connection. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to request the guide and for information on this or other HEAR US projects.