The famous children's TV show Sesame Street has introduced a new character to highlight homeless children. The educational TV series, which started in 1969, is helping to tackle the issue of homelessness. It is using a new character called Lily - a 7-year-old girl who is homeless. Lily's suffering is the same as that of over 2.5 million homeless children in the USA and millions more around the world. A Sesame Street spokeswoman hoped that Lily would reduce the shame associated with homelessness. She said Lily could help children feel less alone.
The iconic show has a long history of raising awareness of social issues, like dealing with parents who are in prison, living with autism, and bullying at school. The spokeswoman stressed the importance of reaching out to homeless children. She said: "We know children experiencing homelessness are often caught up in a devastating cycle of trauma....Those children may suffer due to poverty, domestic violence, or other trauma that caused them to lose their home." She added: "We want homeless children to know that they are not alone."
