Aug 18, 2013 4 min read

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“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” – Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa

A mother loses her job, a father is unable to work as a result of an injury, a family is forced from their home by fire or natural disaster. Health care costs soar, public transportation is underfunded, affordable housing is almost impossible to find.

All are reasons why families now make up 40 percent of the homeless population, and why 1 out of every 4 homeless people is a child.

In response to this crisis, the Interfaith Hospitality Network, now Family Promise, brings the faith community together to help families regain their housing, their independence and their dignity. IHN is a partnership of congregations within a community helping families who are facing homelessness. It offers an opportunity for volunteers of all faiths to reduce homelessness and transform lives.

Recognizing the impact homelessness has on those lives, Family Promise launched a six-week “summer camp” at its Washington Family Shelter on East Beau Street. The camp was intended for all children in Washington County shelters and made possible through a partnership with the Homeless Children’s Education Fund and the Allegheny Intermediate Unit.

Laura Vincenti, executive director of Family Promise of Southwestern Pennsylvania, said the kids and their parents were exposed to programming that was “enriching and entertaining,” topped off by field trips with an educational focus.

“It was all for the kids who have so few opportunities,” Vincenti said.

But the only children to attend were those who, along with their mothers, were residents of the Family Promise shelter. During the six weeks, just four adults and seven children, ranging in age from 14 to 1, participated.

Lisa, who declined to provide her last name, was among them. The Charleroi woman and her two children, ages 1 and 4, arrived in May after she was told to leave public housing because she could not pay her electric bill.

The move to Family Promise was traumatic for her 4-year-old, especially when other families began to arrive.

“It is so hard to explain to a 4-year-old why we are here,” Lisa said. “Being in a situation of not having a place to call home impacts you a lot. It is very stressful,” she said.

Her oldest began to “act out” when other children came to the house.

“We were the only family here for a while, and I think he felt his place was being invaded. And my daughter didn’t sleep for the first week we were here.”

Lisa believes kids are resilient, “but I hope they will not remember this.”

Ellen Sharbaugh, the summer program coordinator at Family Promise, said the older the child, the better he or she can express himself or herself.

“I understand why Lisa’s 4-year-old acted out. He just doesn’t understand,” Sharbaugh said.

She said research has shown that as resilient as we believe kids to be, “They are still impacted by stress, and change is more stressing than just about anything.”

The advantage offered by Family Promise is that families get to stay together, and the parents will help buffer that stress that Sharbaugh said could very well be detrimental to their development.

Vincenti has seen many families with children come and go.

“While kids are amazingly resilient, there is always a question in their eyes,” she said. “You can always see those questions in their eyes because they don’t know what’s coming next.”

She said her heart breaks for the older kids, preteens and teenagers who are old enough to know what’s going on, old enough to know what the label “homelessness” means.

Vincenti cited an example of a family with two boys – a teenager and a preteen.

“One month one of the boys came into the house dancing with excitement that he was named Student of the Month. Kids in the school found out where he was living, and he had a week from hell, until some other drama diverted their attentions,” she said.

It is always a special moment for Vincenti when she sees a family with children get a place of their own.

“Knowing a family is getting a fresh start, that the kids are going to be settled, knowing there will be a routine to their day, that they will gain independence and be back in charge of their lives and can demonstrate that to their children – that is huge,” she said.