One of the Muppets on SESAME STREET Will Help Teach Kids About Homelessness
Lily was a character introduced to Sesame Street in 2011 when they talked about food insecurity. Lily had to explain to her friends that her family didn’t have enough to eat. Now, Lily is returning and with more hardship. It appears that now Lily’s family is homeless.
This storyline comes from the Sesame Street in Communities program from Sesame Workshop. The goal is to help work on removing the stigma around homelessness. The Administration for Children and Families, part of the Department of Health & Human Services, reported in 2014-15 that one in 20 children under 6 years of age was homeless. Because of this, Sesame Street hopes to give these children hope as they deal with the trials and trauma that they face. President of Global Impact and Philanthropy at Sesame Workshop, Sherrie Westin, released this statement:
“We know children experiencing homelessness are often caught up in a devastating cycle of trauma – the lack of affordable housing, poverty, domestic violence, or other trauma that caused them to lose their home, the trauma of actually losing their home, and the daily trauma of the uncertainty and insecurity of being homeless. We want to help disrupt that cycle by comforting children, empowering them, and giving them hope for the future. We want them to know that they are not alone, and home is more than a house or an apartment – home is wherever the love lives.”
In the clip below you’ll see Lily tell Elmo about her situation and its touching to see Elmo treat her no differently after she confided in him. It is very important to note that since the clip was part of the Sesame Street in Communities initiative, it will not be aired on the TV version of the show. Clips like this will instead be readily available on their YouTube page as a resource for community support leaders, caregivers, and families.