By Marcy Winer
I did not know what to expect when I first walked into a motel on the North Shore three years ago. I had just begun my book project, Project DEAR, and was navigating my own path with homeless children and families. I wasn’t nervous: I was just very interested in how I could help them.
At my first book reading, there were about six children My friend Patty came with me to read to them and to help display books so the children could take them home. It went really well and the children were very excited to have books of their own to keep. I also passed out many books to the moms and other siblings. The director was thrilled that I was going to return on a regular basis. During later visits, many children and parents approached me to ask for certain books. More visits were scheduled and a trusted bond was forged.
In 2016, the motel shut down and these families were displaced and moved again to various locations for temporary housing. Many have moved on and relocated to other areas of the state since then. Even so, I still deliver books to the director who is still in touch with some of these families.
The number of homeless children in Massachusetts is staggering. Last February, the Boston Globe reported that the number of chidren who are homeless has more than doubled in nine years. A report stated that more than 33,000 people have stayed in a homeless shelter at least one night. Many of these families have children who attend our schools.
Homeless students can exhibit vastly different behaviors. Some come to school as though nothing is wrong. They are apparently able to concentrate on schoolwork and seem (emphasis on “seem”) outwardly ok. Other children come to school a mess. Their clothes are worn out and they are visibly tired from a commute that is longer than a bus ride should be. It is hardest when scuh students come to us temporarilly. We settle them into the class, they make friends and begin to trust the growups in the class who care for them six hours each day, and then they move again. Homeless children crave stability and the one thing they desperately need is often the last thing they ever get.
When I see children in the motels and shelters that I visit, I spend as much time with them as I can. As I read to them, they often share with me their stuffed animals or the toys they are playing with. A while back, a little girl climbed into my lap for me to read to her, while her mom pushed a stroller with a younger sibling around the motel lobby to try to quiet his cries. These children are just little people who need the same things that all of us need- human touch, a home and someone to care. I cannot do enough for these children. Nobody can.
In our district, we are fortunate to have Catie’s Closet, named after Catie Bisson. Catie’s mom Anne-Marie founded this non profit organization in 2010 as a way to honor Catie’s memory. This organization provides clothing and toiletries to impoverished children. It is set up in unused spaces in schools and is now in 54 schools throughout Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Children from preschool through grade 12 are helped by this program. What a wonderful way to have Catie’s legacy live on by helping children who need it the most!
Homlessness is one struggle that is increasing each school year. It is heartbreaking and will never be something we just “get used to seeing.” All children deserve a home with their family, but if that isn’t possible, their school family can be a refuge from their own personal storms. ▪
Marcy Winer is a paraprofessional in Lowell and the founder of the literacy program Project DEAR (www.facebook.com/Project-DEAR-738334756244926).