Sesame Street Takes On Homelessness
From The New York Times: When Days Aren’t So Sunny: Sesame Street Takes on Homelessness
Lily, a character introduced seven years ago to address child hunger, returns. This time her family does not have a place to live.
Lily, a fuchsia Muppet with a mop of hair, green eyelids and a lavender nose, debuted on “Sesame Street” seven years ago. She was shy and soft-spoken. Her family, she explained to Elmo, did not have enough to eat.
At the time, Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit that produces “Sesame Street,” wanted to create a Muppet that could help illustrate the food insecurity that was affecting nearly 17 million households with children.
Now, Lily will reappear for the first time, as someone who is homeless. In the story line, her family is going back and forth between shelters, crashing with relatives and staying with Sofia, a real-life person who works at the local community center.