Seven women courageously step out of America's
shadow of homelessness, lugging family troubles
and deep-seated anxiety as they grapple to avoid
returning to their nomadic existence. Their brutal
honesty reveals not only the turmoil and tragedies
that led to their homelessness but also their
vulnerability of returning to a life of invisible
struggle to survive.  Their stories give new meaning
to life "on the edge."

 Each woman's story is unique but there are recurring themes of trauma and abuse.  They speak of the
friends who tried to help them and their own desire
to help others like themselves.  Each woman has
fought to regain her independence with a fragile
support network, based on society's ambiguous
standards. 

They grasp tenuously to the edge of stability hoping
for future lives in their own homes, or at least to
avoid the return to homelessness.

...on the edge, a feature-length (68 min.) documentary film offering an intense
look at realities of invisible homeless families in America, filmed and produced
by Diane Nilan and Laura Vazquez.

Far beyond urban street corners where often-scorned and neglected homeless
men and women shuffle, invisible families and teens struggle to survive
homelessness and destitution. They stay in a variety of locales, in communities
of all sizes and economic compositions. For numerous reasons, this
sub-population of homeless denizens have been mostly ignored, and now
estimates of their numbers exceeds 2 million, with some experts believing that
invisible homeless families could number close to 10 million.

 on the edge, featuring 7 women who lost their housing for a variety of reasons,
gives a painfully intimate look at the entwined connection between poverty,
housing issues, social problems, addictions, family crises, and gender-related
injustices. These compelling and forthcoming experts on homelessness shine a
bright, unmitigated light on systemic and personal causes of their struggles,
illuminating what has been a dark corner of social inaction and concern.

the filmakers...
Diane Nilan
Founder/President 
HEAR US Inc.
 Bio

HEARUS Inc. a national nonprofit organization that gives voice and visibility to homeless children and youth.

Since 2006, Nilan and Vazquez have completed several short films on the issue of homeless
children, youth and families. Their documentary series includes My Own Four Walls, which
won the 2007 NAECHY Outstanding Media Award, as well as a K-12 educator awareness
series for teachers and administrators. They produced REACH: Connect Children to Education,
a short training video to remove barriers to education for homeless children of incarcerated
parents, and several short advocacy videos.

Nilan has worked with homeless families, intensely advocating on local, state
and national levels for solutions to homelessness for 25 years. She is in her
5th year traveling backroads of the lower 48 states chronicling homelessness
as it affects families and teens.  www.hearus.us/about-us.html

Vazquez, an accomplished documentary filmmaker, devoted her sabbatical in
the spring of 2008 to work with Nilan on this unique film project. Her commitment
to this ignored issue and her longstanding commitment to social justice
contributes not only vast technical expertise, but the passion that augments this
extraordinary effort.