NYN Media – A new brief from Advocates for Children released Thursday morning highlights the crucial services the city’s 100 shelter-based community coordinators have been providing since the initiative began last school year. Unlike other shelter staff who help families find permanent housing and access public benefits, these coordinators exclusively focus on meeting the educational needs of children. Combating chronic absenteeism – something students living in temporary housing are particularly prone to – finding appropriate educational programs, securing transportation and helping new migrant arrivals enroll in and navigate a new school system have been some of the ways these individuals have helped families.

임시 주택 프로젝트의 아동 학습자 옹호 단체의 제니퍼 프링글(Jennifer Pringle) 이사는 “이렇게 엄청난 도움이 필요한 시기에 보호소 기반 지역사회 코디네이터에 대한 자금 지원이 위험에 처해 있다는 것은 상상할 수 없는 일입니다.”라고 말했습니다. "(쉼터 기반 지역 사회 코디네이터)는 학생과 가족에게 삶을 변화시키는 지원을 제공했으며 시는 작업의 연속성을 보장하기 위해 새로운 자금 출처를 긴급히 찾아야 합니다."

The latest data only brings the shelter-based coordinators’ importance into sharper focus. In New York City public schools, 1 in 9 students experienced homelessness during the 2022-23 school year – a record-high of 119,320 children even as overall enrollment declined. While 61% of those students were living “doubled up” in shared housing, 34% – more than 40,800 – spent time in the shelter system.

The city hired 100 shelter-based community coordinators last school year as thousands of migrant families arrived in the city, but the positions were created with temporary funding. Twenty-five positions were created using city money, while the other 75 posts came from federal stimulus funds, which are expiring soon.