HEAR US Inc.
Giving voice & visibility to families & youth experiencing homelessness
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Too few educators, policy makers and citizens understand the scope of and issues facing families and youth experiencing homelessness. HEAR US Inc. addresses this directly by filming and producing short documentaries featuring these populations.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
HEAR US Programs
> AWARENESS RAISING
My Own Four Walls, a series of documentaries featuring children and youth talking about their homelessness.
on the edge: Family Homelessness in America, a feature-length film sharing the story of 7 women's homelessness.
Worn Out Welcome Mat - a series of films made in different states exploring family/youth homelessness, focused on doubled-up
> YAY BABIES! YAY KIDS!
Looks at the world of homelessness as seen by babies, toddlers, and older kids. Films, books.
> ADVOCACY
Informs lawmakers, community leaders and the public about family/youth homelessness. Films, books, presentations.
It’s About the Children
Promote the children’s books about child homelessness
Where we work
Awards
Human Rights Award 2008
Naperville Church Women United
Outstanding Media 2007
National Association for the Education of Homeless Children & Youth
Award of Merit 2006
University of St. Francis
Bridge Builder 2012
GA Alliance to End Homelessness
Transforming Lives 2012
Bridge Communities
External reviews

Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
To raise awareness of and compassion for families and youth experiencing homelessness as to improve their access to housing and services.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Film and produce documentaries that give families and youth the opportunity to share their struggles, hopes, and dreams.
Utilize social media to share these documentaries and other news about families and youth experiencing homelessness.
Work on public policy efforts to help families and youth experiencing homelessness.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Since 2005, we have filmed and produced award winning films featuring families and youth experiencing homelessness. This has been done in geographically diverse settings across the country, typically where families/youth stay.
Our experience on this issue — running shelters, successfully advocating for local, state and federal policy changers, presenting at state and national conferences, conducting educational sessions to a variety of audiences, training educators and administrators on educational implications of laws governing access to students experiencing homelessness and more—gives us tremendous insights on this issue. Our rapport with families and youth experiencing homelessness makes the interview process easy for them, so their openness allows for a sharing not possible in more structured settings.
Since our start in 2005, HEAR US has cultivated a reputation of integrity and responsiveness to this largely invisible world of family and youth homelessness that has given us access to interviews based on trust. We have delivered our work as promised, at a reasonable price and have worked with our “customers “ to make sure they get the most use out of our documentaries.
Our website (www.hearus.us) makes all these films available at no cost so they can be shared as widely as possible. Our use of social media also expands viewership.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
HEAR US has made statewide McKinney-Vento films for:
Texas, Kansas, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Hawaii
Filming also done in:
Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York, California, Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Colorado, Wisconsin
On our future project list:
Co-author 2 books on family homelessness, utilizing input from interviews from our video productions.
A pending film project on college students experiencing homelessness.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
HEAR US Inc.
Board of directorsas of 08/01/2022
Diane Nilan
HEAR US Inc.
Maria Wilson
no affiliation
Marilyn McGowan
no affiliation
Diane Nilan
HEAR US Inc.
Pat Van Doren
It's About the Children
Rita Sullivan
no affiliation
Rosie Robbs
Ro-Ja Sales
Barbara Schneider
no affiliation
Helen JiLek OSB
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? No -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? No -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No