Mentor A Promise

  Photo credit: елена калиничева - stock.adobe.com If you or someone you know needs help, contact the  Suicide & Crisis Lifeline : Dial 988 Childhood and adolescence are already emotionally fraught times in a person’s development. Good or bad, what happens during these periods and how a young person responds to them could very well affect the rest of their lives, including their mental and emotional health well into the future. This is especially true of children and youths experiencing homelessness. This blog post will explore how homeless New York City (NYC) students experience mental illness and how their outlooks may be improved.  How Common Is Mental Illness Among Homeless NYC Students? Sadly, mental illness is widely prevalent among children and youths experiencing homelessness. According to Covenant House, a charitable organization which tracks patterns and cares for homeless youth, 69 percent of respondents report struggles with mental illness. [ 1 ] Given tha...

  Photo Credit: BUddhika - stock.adobe.com Though not exclusive to the United States, domestic violence pervades every stratum of American society, crossing age, ethnic, socioeconomic, religious and other boundaries. Given the exact wrong set of circumstances, anybody can become a victim. In fact, in New York City, domestic violence has been the leading cause of homelessness for families with minor children for the past eight years. This blog post will explore the effect domestic violence has on homeless NYC students as well as potential solutions.  How Many Homeless NYC Students Have Experienced Domestic Violence?  Though the exact number fluctuates with the given fiscal year, approximately 40 percent of families with children who have entered a Department of Homeless Services (DHS) shelter report domestic violence as the cause of their homelessness. [ 1 ] As of March 16, 2025, 18,135 families resided in one of our city’s shelters. [ 2 ] This equates to roughly 7,254 fam...

  Photo Credit: Mechastock - stock.adobe.com Clichéd as it sounds, high performance in school can open many doors for students, even those without stable housing. Along with confidence and a strong support system, these students have a greater chance of breaking the cycle of homelessness. That said, high performance in school requires educational continuity, such as that provided by staying at a school of origin. This blog post will explore why homeless NYC students should stay at their school of origin as well as the rights and resources available to ensure that.  What Is A School of Origin? “School of origin” is a clunky legalistic phrase that can be translated as the “school the student attended before they became homeless or the school in which the student was last enrolled.” [ 1 ]. This definition would include preschools and, in the event a student completes the final grade level served by the school of origin, the designated receiving school at the next grade level whic...

  Photo credit: Seventyfour - stock.adobe.com It will surprise absolutely no one reading this to learn that not only does New York City have a high cost of living, it frequently ranks in the top three on lists of most expensive cities in the world. Though often ranked as the richest city in the world, New York has a poverty rate of 23 percent, nearly twice the national average. One frequent byproduct of poverty is food insecurity. Though not exclusive to this population, homeless NYC students are the most vulnerable to food insecurity. This blog post will explore the extent of the problem as well as ways you can help.  What Constitutes Food Insecurity? According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, food insecurity is when households are “uncertain of having or unable to acquire enough food to meet the needs of all their members because they [have] insufficient money or other resources for food.” In other words, those who lack reliable access to enough food for a healthy, act...

  As with many other societal problems, solving our city’s crisis of homelessness can seem like an insurmountable task. This is especially true when one considers New York City’s most vulnerable residents: The 146,000 homeless students in our school system. However, each one of us has the ability to make a difference in the lives of these children and youths. This blog post will explore five small ways everyone can help homeless NYC students.  Be Kind and Respectful  Homelessness can be a dehumanizing and alienating experience. So, the simplest - and, in many ways, most effective - act that you can perform is to treat homeless students with the same dignity you would afford any other person. That is, by acknowledging their presence and needs without judgment. If you encounter a homeless student, you should consider any or all of the following acts of kindness: Offering a smile Engaging in conversation  Providing food and resources  Donate Clothing  If a hom...

  As you’ve no doubt gleaned from our previous blog posts, being homeless is incredibly stressful for the individuals living through it. While distress never benefits anyone, it is especially damaging to those whose brains are still developing, i.e. children and youths. Indeed, toxic levels of stress, such as that brought on by lack of stable housing, can lead to profound developmental delays, which can have lifelong effects. This blog post will examine the correlation between high levels of stress and developmental delays in homeless NYC students as well as what can be done to remedy them.  What Constitutes a Developmental Delay in Homeless NYC Students? As they grow up, all children are expected to reach specific milestones at specific intervals when compared to same-age peers. For example, by the age of 24 months, a child should be using about 50 simple words on a regular basis. [ 1 ] Every child develops differently, so a delay in one area one time does not, in and of itse...