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Homelessness

Surviving Day-to-Day ActivismBook ReviewsEducationFamilyHomelessness

Surviving Day-to-Day

The chaos of homelessness often makes clear thinking impossible for homeless families; a new book shows us how to truly care for those who need structure, calm, and hope

Diane Nilan has dedicated forty years documenting the reality of family homelessness in America. She’s and traveled more than 500,000 miles across the country, made more than 100 films and has written four books on the subject. Her work combines storytelling with advocacy, helping turn statistics into personal human experiences. Her newest book, Making Bad A Little Better, is a practical and compassionate look at family homelessness. The Reporters Inc. talks with Nilan and offers exclusive excerpts.

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Olivia
July 15, 2026
How to Survive Homelessness Book ReviewsFamilyHomelessnessWomen

How to Survive Homelessness

Three women named Melissa share their stories, struggles

If you were a parent and suddenly found yourself homeless, would you know how to get by? In a new book, The Three Melissas: The Practical Guide to Surviving Family Homelessness, three mothers--coincidentally named Melissa--share their advice, wisdom and inspiration for anyone struggling with similar experiences. The Reporters Inc. talks with the authors and is honored to present exclusive excerpts.

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Diane Nilan
May 28, 2025
War’s Over, Come Home Book ReviewsHomelessnessVeterans

War’s Over, Come Home

A father searches for his son, an Iraq war vet who descended into mental illness, homelessness

Next time you pass a homeless person on the street, and he or she happens to be holding up a sign claiming to be a veteran, Patrick Smithwick has a request: Take those people at their word. In his new book, War's Over, Come Home: A Father's Search for His Son, Smithwick details his frustrating, heartbreaking, and so-far unsuccessful journey to find his son Andrew.

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Brian Gabrial
November 9, 2023
15 Years on The Road Book ReviewsHomelessnessTravel

15 Years on The Road

Author witnesses, documents families experiencing homelessness across the U.S. 

In her memoir Dismazed and Drive: My Look at Family Homelessness in America, author Diane Nilan chronicles the lives of several families experiencing homelessness in the United States. She spent 15 years living on the road and visited 49 states to document the "unheralded survival of courageous parents and kids whose homes have vanished for countless reasons." (more)
admin
December 16, 2020
Dacosta and Lewis Homelessness

Dacosta and Lewis

Helping the homeless is sometimes hard to do

Hoping to better understand and help the homeless community in Evanston, Illinois, where she attends Northwestern University, reporter Kate Stein visited a local warming center. There, she met and started talking with two men, Dacosta and Lewis. Stein says they left her with more questions than answers, including, how can college students like herself help homeless people?

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Kate Stein
May 19, 2014
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