ICEARY 2025

Who knows more about family homelessness than the parents who experience it? Homelessness is the cause of many school attendance issues, but it goes unrecognized in many instances. Officials tend to not understand the nitty-gritty reality of what families experience while homeless. The 3 Melissas’ Practical Guide to Surviving Family Homelessness, a new book, is a unique collection of wisdom from 3 mothers named Melissa (including one from IL) filled with their unfettered advice to millions of other moms, dads, and caregivers without a place to live. These hard-won observations and suggestions, compiled into an unprecedented survival guide for families experiencing homelessness in the US each year, offers tips and takes on common issues bedeviling stressed parents. This guide also informs those working with homeless families, giving a more enlightened understanding of the mostly invisible and growing crisis of family homelessness. The presentation will cover highlights from this new book and explore ways this tool can enhance local services for families experiencing homelessness.