Charlie, the little boy whose image launched the movement to improve homeless children's educational rights...

Pat Van Doren's poignant, memorable, photo adorned every piece of promotional material about the

ILLINOIS EDUCATION FOR HOMELESS CHILDREN ACT of 1994. We commemorate 1993 as the beginning of this campaign because it's when the family was turned away from their school, the act that began the legislative effort to change the Illinois state law. The law passed in 1994.

Read an excerpt from Diane's book, Crossing the Line: Taking Steps to End Homelessness, about the improbable beginnings of this law, now represented in the federal McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act of 2001 (updated 12/15). 

Definition of "homeless" in this law.

ORDER DIANE'S BOOK, Crossing the Line: Taking Steps to End Homelessness that contains the story of Charlie and this law.

This book and Diane's other books are also available through Amazon and other book vendors.