Every Friday, parents at Saratoga come together for Ms. Laura’s cooking class, where they learn family-friendly recipes that combine affordability with nutrition. The classes are also a chance for parents to enjoy themselves, exchange international recipes, and bond over food and family.

At last month’s “F is for Family” workshop, families from Prospect Family Residence and afterschool had the opportunity to engage with the new set of resources developed by Sesame Street in Communities to help explain the experience of homelessness to young children.

“It’s so important for all kids to see their lived experiences represented in their favorite media,” says Kelsey Martinez, LMSW, Senior Client Care Coordinator at Prospect, who helped to plan and facilitate the event. “It can be hard to know how to approach conversations around topics like housing instability with kids, so tools like these are vital in guiding the process for parents and providers.”

Homes for the Homeless and its sister organization the Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness were advisers to Sesame Street in Communities in the development of this initiative, which includes a storybook, videos, activities, and parent workshops. Staff and families from HFH’s Prospect, Saratoga, and Williamsbridge family residences also participated in focus groups providing valuable input on the project.

As part of a volunteer community service project, teens from Prospect’s FutureLink afterschool program created a colorful hopscotch court for the event, which the younger children readily put to use, hopping one by one into a reading circle arranged in the center of the room.

The Prospect team adorned the room itself with a playful and engaging air, covering it with Sesame Street decals, photo props, sweets, streamers and balloons.

Martinez began by introducing the families to Lily, a 7-year-old muppet, whose storyline centers on her family’s experience with homelessness.

Families then watched two videos starring Lily, Elmo, and Sofia, a grown-up friend of Lily’s mom with whom Lily and her family are staying temporarily.

In the first video, Lily becomes disheartened while painting a rainbow mural with her friends, trailing off at the color purple.

“The color purple made her sad because she lost her house and her room was purple,” explained one child in attendance at the Prospect event.

Tarsis Gotay-Ihonor, LMSW, a Client Care Coordinator at Prospect, then showed families a second video, featuring the “ribbons of hope” Lily’s mother carries for Lily to turn into bracelets wherever they are staying.

Families at Prospect watched as Lily offered Elmo one of the bracelets she created from her ribbons, a gesture meant to highlight the ways in which friendship, hope, and solidarity can lead to resilience for families experiencing homelessness or other forms of community stress.

Following the video, Gotay-Ihonor talked with families about how the ribbons became a source of consistency and comfort for Lily, especially when she became frustrated or saddened by her family’s circumstances.

The children were then asked what items made them feel safe in their own lives.

One responded, “my pillow.”

Another said, “my stuffed doggie.”

One child even showed off a bracelet her friend had given her earlier that week, noting that her friend had been comforting her about something she was afraid of.

Much to the delight of attendees, Prospect staff handed out colorful slap bracelets, in lieu of ribbons, to both kids and parents, as a symbol of friendship and community support.

Martinez then read We Got This!, a children’s book developed by Sesame Street in Communities, with Heidy Mendez, Education Program Coordinator at Prospect, providing translation into Spanish for Spanish-speaking children and parents in attendance.

The book features Lily meeting a baby bird whose nest is destroyed, after which his mother receives the help of friends as they rebuild their nest.

“So many children are facing housing instability and homelessness, yet it’s so rare that these experiences are reflected in the media they consume,” reflects Martinez. “Strong, relatable characters like Lily can really make a difference in how kids view themselves.”

Following the reading, Gotay-Ihonor began a dialogue with families about the concept of ‘home,’ and how ‘home’ can be found in family, friendship, and even bracelets.

She asked families what the word home signified for them, to which one child replied, “home is where love is.”

The conversation culminated in a community art project. Families gathered at a long table and were handed paper hearts, which they were then asked to decorate with their definition of home.

Many were eager and talkative throughout the activity, comparing hearts and sharing arts supplies. Others, especially parents for whom the conversations had resonated, took a more contemplative approach.

Both parents and children tended to reference family and love as integral to their definition of home.

One heart read, “I love my mom and my dad.”

Another, “I love my kids! My home is love.”

As they worked on their hearts, parents received a packet containing bilingual resources developed by Sesame Street in Communities for talking with children about the experience of homelessness, a copy of the We Got This! storybook, and a gift bag.

Children received a gift basket containing, among other goodies, a toothbrush to mark National Children’s Dental Health Month.

Upon finishing, families pasted their hearts to a large banner with “Home is…” written along the top. The banner now hangs in a display case at Prospect Family Residence so that other families and staff members can reflect on what home means to them.

On one heart, a parent wrote in Spanish, “Although my house is not a castle, what is important is that we are healthy and happy. Humble, but with love. That is what is the most important.”

Find out more about Sesame Street in Communities’ resources for families experiencing homelessness on the Sesame Street in Communities website.

As a teenager, Celina Rodriguez, Director of Family Services at Prospect Family Residence, experienced living in a homeless shelter with her single mother and four siblings.

Now, she channels that experience into coordinating comprehensive support for homeless families seeking to secure permanent housing and financial stability.

“It helps me to communicate with people very differently because I know how it is to be on the other side,” Rodriguez says. “Family Services is big on building people up.”

After receiving her BA in Psychology from Fordham University, Rodriguez joined Prospect as a Case Manager in 2015 before being promoted to Director of Family Services in 2017.

She is responsible for managing a team of Client Care Coordinators, Housing and Employment Specialists, and Case Managers who conduct intakes with all new residents, assess their unique needs and challenges, and together act as a vital support network for families as they work towards long-term stability.

“The way the team is set up is really important because we need all of these positions,” Rodriguez says of the integral part each staff member plays in empowering clients. “It’s not just about moving them out. It’s about getting everything, all the services they need.”

Despite her leadership role, Rodriguez continues to take a personal approach with clients, introducing herself to families during intake meetings and ensuring that they feel comfortable by promoting open communication, staff cohesion, and an open-door office policy.

“I like to talk to the clients and make them understand why things are happening,” she says. “When you open up that communication and give them that respect, they’re more open with you.”

She expects an equally considerate and open approach from everyone on her team at Family Services. “Always, communication,” she emphasizes. “Talk to each other. That’s how you build a team and that’s how we have to work it. If somebody’s lost, everybody’s lost.”

Dorothea Nixon, Director of Prospect Family Support Center, says Rodriguez is often able to cultivate strong relationships with clients and staff, thereby empowering clients towards long-term stability.

“Family Services is the backbone of the organization,” says Nixon. “It takes a highly organized, committed, strong, and dedicated individual with excellent observation skills and keen decision-making abilities to run that department.”

In addition to her role at Prospect, Rodriguez is currently pursuing a Master’s in Criminal Justice and Human Resources, and ultimately hopes to work at the intersection of criminal justice, psychology, and substance abuse.

As for her inspiration, Rodriguez credits the close relationship she developed with a Case Manager at the shelter where she once lived.

“I wanted to do what she did for me,” she says. “I was fifteen, and I still talk to her now, so I feel like that is something great that anybody here could build.”

Five new mothers with children between the ages of 3 weeks and 10 months participated in the first of a four-part series of Babies and Brunch group sessions at Prospect Family Residence.

Babies and Brunch is an opportunity for mothers with infant children living at Prospect to grow, connect, play, and learn in a safe, friendly, and non-judgmental environment.

Organized and led by Dorothea Nixon, Director of Prospect Family Support Center, the series facilitates discussions where parents can share concerns, ask questions, and obtain support from one another and participating staff.

In this first session, participants signed a group contract and each parent was asked about their hopes and dreams for their children’s futures.

Parents engaged in active play with their children, fostering protective factors such as social connections, knowledge of child development, socio-emotional competence, concrete support, and parental resilience.

Nixon also posed a question for the group to discuss: “How do you as a parent respond to stressful situations when your child is present?”

The entire team at Prospect took great care in planning and facilitating this first session. They look forward to the next three sessions of this pilot program and hope to continue these efforts to support new moms who are experiencing homelessness as they strengthen their bonds with their infant children.