Sesame Workshop, the non-profit organization behind children’s television show Sesame Street, announced Dec. 12 that the show will include a new storyline featuring Lily, a 7-year-old Muppet and her family, as they experience homelessness. Sesame Workshop stated they hope Lily’s story will help erase the stigma around homelessness.
Lily was first introduced to Sesame Street viewers in 2011 to discuss food insecurity and hunger. Sesame Workshop said in a press release that they created this storyline “to offer help and hope to the growing number of young children across the United States who are experiencing homelessness.” In addition to Lily, they have also created free bilingual resources which include coping activities for children who are experiencing homelessness and tools for parents to navigate conversations with their children about homelessness. Sesame Workshop’s resources can be found here.