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.

“在如此需要资金的时候，收容所社区协调员的资金却处于危险之中，这真是令人难以置信，”临时住房儿童学习者倡导项目主任詹妮弗·普林格尔在一份声明中表示。“（收容所社区协调员）为学生和家庭提供了改变生活的支持，该市迫切需要找到新的资金来源，以确保他们工作的连续性。”

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.