National Advocate for the Homeless Settles in High Country to Tackle Problem in Local Communities

By Zack Hill

Diane Nilan has been advocating for the homeless since 2005, traveling the country in a camper as she meets homeless people to share their stories in a push to raise awareness in communities and for policy change on local, state and federal levels.

She runs the organization HEAR US by herself. HEAR US seeks to give voice and visibility to children, families and individuals experiencing homelessness. She’s run shelters, made films, written articles and books, met with legislators and shown that homelessness doesn’t just exist in cities, but that it’s everywhere in the country—it just comes in different forms in different communities.

She recently settled in the High Country although she still has her camper and makes road trips across the country.

“The typical community has good things about it but totally ignores the homelessness problem and its root cause,” Nilan said. “It doesn’t go away without addressing the root causes.”

Nilan says that many communities think homelessness is always caused by mental health issues and drug abuse. But the root causes—and solutions—go far beyond that.

“There are a number of solutions that could be implemented,” Nilan said. “Things about property owners, funding, homelessness prevention, housing assistance, mental health treatment and physical health treatment.”

She also pointed toward a community’s understanding of the issue being crucial to providing help. Often, Nilan says, homelessness takes forms beyond what people usually recognize as just someone living on the street.

“The lack of info on the issue is horrendous,” Nilan said. “And North Carolina seems to be especially bad. People are in denial.”

“People on streets today in many cases were kids experiencing homelessness in different forms. There are many types of homelessness. They might be doubled-up in an aunt and uncle’s house. They could be living in a rundown trailer on someone’s property or living in a motel, bouncing in and out. They could be in shelters.”

Nilan said these people often go uncounted when a community is assessing its homelessness problem.

“Any community has to buy into the fact that they need to do something different than what they’re doing,” Nilan said. “They need to know more about the issue than they think they know. I don’t think people understand the issue and they absolutely make judgements that are counterproductive and act in those directions and make life harder for everybody, the homeless and the community. Getting to know the issue better is the number one thing. You can’t try to end homelessness without understanding the issue.”

Nilan uses a chart from University of Michigan research that found there are 4,000 school-age children within N.C. House Representative Virginia Foxx’s (R) district who are currently homeless in some form to show how prevalent the problem is in western N.C. and the High Country.

Although Nilan has been across the country collecting stories and first-person accounts from homeless people she’s currently focusing on how the issue affects those in North Carolina.

“I’m working on projects in N.C., filming interviews with families and youth experiencing homelessness in different parts of the state to put together for the Department of Education and for anyone who wants to see it,” Nilan said. “It’s an uphill issue for sure but I’ve seen changes in people’s lives that make me go, ‘you know, it’s worth it.’”

“You have people who have mental health issues but don’t look like they do. I’ve talked to legislators who have the same issues. You have people that have these issues and if you push them in the wrong direction it’s counterproductive for them and the community. So getting out in front of it and having some more appropriate responses would be common sense and smart. That would make it easier for the police department, easier for the hospital, easier for people without homes, and easier for the community as a whole.”

Nilan says a community has to be willingly aware of the issue and willing to help.

“People have to want to help and help on a number of different levels,” Nilan said. “Not just helping the ‘deserving’ person. There are some people who can get a little help and get on their way. But a number can’t just jump up and get their lives back in order. It’s not as simple as pulling themselves up by their bootstraps. The problem is often generational and they don’t know any other way to live or how to get out of it.“

Nilan says the Hospitality House does incredible work but it’s far too small to accommodate all of the homeless people in the area it serves.

“The Hospitality House covers seven counties and there’s no way they can be there for everyone who needs help. They just don’t have the room or resources,” Nilan said.

“Homelessness seems like it’s being managed in this community but it’s not. But it’s really about to explode, especially when winter comes. It will be visible because you will have people dying on the streets and in campgrounds. Is human life important is the question we all need to ask. Is it just human lives that already have all they need or are we all in this together?”

For more information on Nilan’s work visit hearus.us or check her out on X/Twitter at diane_hearus.

This is the first in a series of articles the High Country Press will be publishing on the homelessness issue in the High Country.