(CNN) For the first time, a resident of "Sesame Street" is experiencing homelessness -- and the hope is that her story can help sweep the clouds away for the growing number of young children in the United States without homes to call their own. 
 
 Lily, a 7-year-old bright pink Muppet, was introduced to the world in 2011. She was originally described as being food-insecure because her family lacked consistent access to food. 
 
 Now, "Lily is the first Muppet we've created whose storyline includes that she is experiencing homelessness," said Sherrie Westin, president of global impact and philanthropy for Sesame Workshop , formerly Children's Television Workshop, which is the nonprofit behind "Sesame Street." 
 
 In new online videos, stories and resources, Sesame Workshop has expanded Lily's storyline to include that her family has lost their home and now must stay with friends. This homelessness initiative launched Wednesday as part of Sesame Workshop's Sesame Street in Communities program. 
 
 "When Lily was first launched, she came out as part of the food insecurity initiative. So she's not brand new, but this seemed like a really perfect extension of her story, so that we could use her to help children identify with," Westin said. "With any of our initiatives, our hope is that we're not only reaching the children who can identify with that Muppet but that we're also helping others to have greater empathy and understanding of the issue." 
 
 Although her journey with homelessness will not appear in televised episodes of "Sesame Street" at this point, she will be in separate videos and materials in the initiative. 
 
 "The goal is really to give service providers, parents, teachers tools in order to address homelessness with children, in order to talk about it and raise awareness of the issue from a child's perspective and also to help children experiencing homelessness feel less alone," Westin said. 
 
 "I think we tend to think of homelessness as an adult issue and don't always look at it through the lens of a child, and we realize that Sesame has a unique ability to do that, to look at tough issues with the lens of a child," she said. 
 
 'Humanizing the experience of homelessness' 
 
 A report released last year by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development revealed that homelessness is increasing across the country, with 553,742 people nationwide homeless on a single night in 2017, an increase of 0.7% from the previous year. 
 
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 About 1 in 20 children younger than 6 experienced homelessness in 2014 to 2015, according to a report released last year by the US Administration for Children and Families 
 
 During the 2013-14 school year, more than 1.3 million homeless children and youth were enrolled in public schools, according to the US Department of Education 
 
 However, in general, the exact number of homeless youth in America remains a mystery. 
 
 "Numbers are always trouble," said Megan Hustings, interim director of the National Coalition for the Homeless 
 
 The number of young people who have experienced homelessness varies depending on age, time frame and how homelessness is defined, but between 500,000 and 2.8 million youth are thought to be homeless within the United States each year, according to the Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs 
 
 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Julia, a new autistic muppet character, will join the cast of "Sesame Street" in April. The character was first introduced during the new Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children Hide Caption 1 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Sesame Street's original star Big Bird has led the show since its first episode in 1969. The 8-foot Muppet often doesn't understand what's going on but sets the tone for the show by never hesitating to find out. Hide Caption 2 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street "Sesame Street's" Muppet characters were originally intended to be support for the human cast, but test audiences responded so warmly to Bert and Ernie's sketches that the producers put Muppets in starring roles. The comic duo have been two of the show's most popular characters ever since. Hide Caption 3 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Sonia Manzano played shop owner Maria for nearly 45 years before retiring in July. She also worked as a writer for the show. Hide Caption 4 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Alan Muraoka is the owner of Hooper's Store. He also works as a performer on Broadway. Hide Caption 5 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Alison Bartlett O'Reilly took the role of Gina, an assistant at Hooper's Store and babysitter for Elmo and Zoe. She joined the ensemble in 1987. Hide Caption 6 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Bob McGrath was one of the first four human cast members on Sesame Street. He is known for his music and singalongs, although Bob can also tell a good story or two. Hide Caption 7 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Christopher Knowings helps out at Hooper's Store. He was cast in 2006. Hide Caption 8 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Emilio Delgado, who plays Luis, was the first human cast member. When something needs to be fixed, he is the man to call. Hide Caption 9 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Ismael Cruz Cordova is a new addition as Armando. He's best known for his role in the CBS drama "The Good Wife." Hide Caption 10 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Loretta Long has played Susan since the show's beginning. When Big Bird needed comforting, Susan was there to help, and she is known for her maternal instincts. Hide Caption 11 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Nitya Vidyasagar joined "Sesame Street" as Leela. The recent addition has a background in theater performance. Hide Caption 12 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Roscoe Orman has played Gordon, husband to Susan, since Sesame Street began. Orman's real-life son Miles joined the cast in season 17 as Gordon's son, solidifying Orman's role as a kind and caring father. Hide Caption 13 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street The Muppet Show made him a star, but Kermit the Frog had begun winning younger fans on "Sesame Street," explaining to kids that "It's Not Easy Bein' Green" for the first time in 1970. Hide Caption 14 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Fifteen years passed between the premiere of "Sesame Street" and Elmo getting his big break in 1984. But since then, the furry red monster with the high-pitched voice has gone on to become arguably the show's most popular Muppet. Hide Caption 15 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street "Om nom nom nom" -- Cookie Monster's voracious appetite for his favorite chocolate chip treats have endeared him to viewers since "Sesame Street's" first season. He's even managed to fit in teaching some important lessons: Thanks to him, generations of kids have grown up knowing that "C" is for cookie. Hide Caption 16 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street A bad-tempered green monster who loves "anything dirty or dingy or dusty" and lives in a trash can: perhaps not an obvious choice for a children's TV hero. Yet Oscar the Grouch, whose ambition is to be as miserable as possible, has failed to ruin viewers moods, bringing humor and fun to the Street. Hide Caption 17 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Zoe broke into "Sesame Street's" largely male Muppet cast in 1994, becoming the show's stand-out female character. As she appears to be about the same age as Elmo, the two often spend time together. They are understood to be best friends. Hide Caption 18 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Nothing can interrupt the Count when he's counting. Whether counting from one to 10 or up to a billion (as he did in 2013 to celebrate "Sesame Street's" 1 billion YouTube views), the Count is happiest with numbers. He can now count over 40 years of appearances on "Sesame Street" since his debut in 1972. Hide Caption 19 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Is Grover the coolest Muppet on "Sesame Street"? He certainly thinks he is and describes himself as a "cute, furry little monster." Grover is one of the favorite creations of "Sesame Street" puppeteer Frank Oz, who said his generous personality and distinctive way of pronouncing each word "came about organically" when he brought the Muppet to the Street in 1970. Hide Caption 20 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street For many years, the adults on "Sesame Street" didn't believe that Mr. Snuffleupagus was real. The gigantic Muppet had an uncanny way of disappearing just before adult characters arrived, and many assumed he was Big Bird's imaginary friend. The very real Muppet is one of the Street's most cultured residents, revealing a love of ballet, opera and art since his first appearance in 1971. Hide Caption 21 of 21 
 
 Lily's story as a Muppet serves as an example of how homelessness has become a growing issue in America, said Hustings, who has no relationship with Sesame Workshop. 
 
 "It's like, wow, we've gotten to this point where this era of homelessness has become so common and so entrenched that it begs a character on 'Sesame Street' to help children understand what they're seeing in their communities," Hustings said. 
 
 "But we know that 'Sesame Street' is coming from a place of education and really wants to build awareness and understanding of all of our community members, despite differences, which is really amazing," she said. 
 
 Highlighting Lily's experiences with homelessness can positively impact the way children today think about homelessness and people in poverty, said Rashmita Mistry, a professor of education at the University of California, Los Angeles , who is not involved in Sesame Workshop. 
 
 "Young children quickly develop ideas about the homeless based on what they see, observe and hear. And, unfortunately, their perceptions lead them to form negative impressions about the homeless," Mistry said. 
 
 "Humanizing the experience of homelessness is especially important because families with young children and school-age children make up a sizable proportion of the homeless population, especially so in urban communities where there's high cost of housing, a tight housing market and limited rent control along with low and non-sustainable wages," she said. "Homelessness is also a much more varied experience than living on the streets and -- as defined by the Department of Education -- includes living in a car, a motel, a shelter and doubling up with friends. Yet this is a group we often do not talk about." 
 
 Other Muppets making a difference 
 
 Since "Sesame Street" launched in 1969 , it has established a reputation for inclusion with its characters. 
 
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 Just last year, the "Sesame Street" show introduced a resident named Julia, who has autism 
 
 Julia was already popular in digital form when Sesame Workshop launched its nationwide initiative " Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children " in 2015, which offers resources for families on how to talk about autism and support the autism community. 
 
 In 2002, "Sesame Street" in South Africa, called " Takalani Sesame ," introduced Kami , the world's first Muppet with HIV. 
 
 Get CNN Health's weekly newsletter Sign up here to get The Results Are In with Dr. Sanjay Gupta every Tuesday from the CNN Health team. 
 
 Kami, the 5-year-old yellow Muppet, is often shown laughing, playing and linking arms with her friends. Her storyline provides basic knowledge of HIV and destigmatization and teaches children how to cope with loss. 
 
 At the time she was introduced, "one in seven children in South Africa was affected by HIV and AIDS. They were either infected themselves or had lost a parent," Westin said. "We created the first preschool curriculum, and in that, we created a character so that Kami would help destigmatize HIV and AIDS, to help break down that culture of silence." ||||| Sesame Workshop Launches Nationwide Initiative to Address the Impact of Homelessness Among America’s Youngest Children 
 
 Sesame Workshop Launches Nationwide Initiative to Address the Impact of Homelessness Among America’s Youngest Children 
 
 
 
 Sesame Street’s Muppet Lily to offer help, hope, and healing to families struggling to find a permanent place to live; new initiative featured on www.sesamestreeincommunities.org 
 
 (New York, NY) December 12, 2018—Sesame Workshop, the non-profit educational organization behind Sesame Street, announced today a major new initiative to offer help and hope to the growing number of young children across the United States who are experiencing homelessness. The initiative engages children and families with the resilient and relatable Lily, a seven-year-old Muppet whose family is staying with friends on Sesame Street after losing their home. Lily is featured in new videos, storybooks, and interactive activities for families with children ages 2 to 6, in addition to materials for the professionals who serve them, such as teachers, social workers, and healthcare providers. Sesame launched the initiative, part of its Sesame Street in Communities program, to help mitigate the impact of the trauma and stigma that result from homelessness. 
 
 The rate of young children who do not have a permanent place to live has been steadily growing. More than 2.5 million children are experiencing homelessness nationwide—and nearly half of those children, 1.2 million, are under the age of six. According to the Office of Head Start, there has been a 100 percent increase in enrollment of children experiencing homelessness in Head Start and Early Head Start programs over the past decade, with 2016-17 marking a record number. 
 
 Through its new initiative, Sesame offers a variety of free, bilingual materials specifically developed to help children who are experiencing homelessness, which often involves an ongoing cycle of physical, emotional, and psychological distress. The resources were created in partnership with national experts on family homelessness and tested with both providers and parents. Lily was originally introduced in 2011, when her family was struggling with hunger. Unfortunately, Lily’s path is common for many children experiencing homelessness. 
 
 “We know children experiencing homelessness are often caught up in a devastating cycle of trauma—the lack of affordable housing, poverty, domestic violence, or other trauma that caused them to lose their home, the trauma of actually losing their home, and the daily trauma of the uncertainty and insecurity of being homeless,” said Sherrie Westin, President of Global Impact and Philanthropy at Sesame Workshop. “We want to help disrupt that cycle by comforting children, empowering them, and giving them hope for the future. We want them to know that they are not alone and home is more than a house or an apartment—home is wherever the love lives.” 
 
 By featuring Lily and her friends on Sesame Street, the resources are designed to show the experience from a child’s perspective, with Lily and her friends encouraging optimism, promoting understanding, and modeling simple coping strategies for children. The new resources include: 
 
 “ Connect the Dots ” : Lily and Sofia play a game that helps Lily feel surrounded by love. 
 
 : Lily and Sofia play a game that helps Lily feel surrounded by love. “ Rainbow Kind of Day ”: Lily, Elmo, and Sofia learn the benefits of talking about big feelings and asking for help. 
 
 ”: Lily, Elmo, and Sofia learn the benefits of talking about big feelings and asking for help. “ Ribbons of Hope ”: After her family finds permanent housing, Lily demonstrates “survivor’s pride” and shares a coping strategy—and a special bracelet—with Elmo. 
 
 ”: After her family finds permanent housing, Lily demonstrates “survivor’s pride” and shares a coping strategy—and a special bracelet—with Elmo. “Home Is…”: Elmo and Rosita meet some new friends who don’t have homes right now and learn about what the concept of “home” means to them. 
 
 Activities and suggestions to help parents and providers give children a sense of continuity, routine, and predictability. The materials include interactive rhyming poems, coloring pages, storybooks, and helpful answers to children’s difficult questions. There are also resources that help promote engagement between caregivers and children, as well as ideas for comforting routines that parents can do with children anywhere. 
 
 New professional development videos, articles, and strategies for providers (social workers, shelter staff, teachers, healthcare workers, and more) who play a crucial role in supporting children experiencing homelessness. The new resources aim to raise awareness and offer strategies for providers who can create a circle of care around children. 
 
 Additionally, on December 13 at 4:00pm ET, Sesame Street in Communities will host an interactive conversation with a panel of expert providers to raise nationwide awareness about homelessness, its effects on children, and ways providers can help. Anyone can join the conversation on Facebook Live and YouTube. 
 
 “Sesame Street’s new initiative on homelessness is nothing short of transformative for those of us working to create a sense of stability and hope for families experiencing homelessness,” said Barbara Duffield, member of Sesame Workshop’s advisory committee and Executive Director of SchoolHouse Connection, a national non-profit organization working to overcome homelessness through education. “At SchoolHouse Connection, we are eager to use the new materials to increase the identification of children who are homeless in early childhood and educational settings, to increase support for children in homeless services and housing programs, and to raise the visibility of family homelessness among policymakers at every level.” 
 
 Sesame Street in Communities is a program to help community providers, parents, and caregivers give children a strong and healthy start. Sesame Street in Communities partners with community providers to reach parents and caregivers with free, easy-to-use resources on topics ranging from healthy eating and school readiness to tougher issues like trauma and grief. The materials, which include videos, storybooks, digital interactives, games, and professional development resources, are available for free—in English and Spanish—at www.sesamestreetincommunities.org. 
 
 Sesame Workshop is implementing Sesame Street in Communities in Kansas City, MO and KS; Los Angeles, CA; Guilford County; NC; Transylvania County, NC; Memphis, TN; Leland and Indianola, MS, and, in 2019, Camden, NJ. Sesame Street in Communities aims to reach 4.5 million children under age 6 and their families; connect with more than 11,000 direct service providers; develop 200 national and local partnerships; and expand to at least 35 additional communities across the country. 
 
 This initiative is supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Joan Ganz Cooney Fund for Vulnerable Children. 
 
 ABOUT SESAME WORKSHOP 
 
 Sesame Workshop is the nonprofit educational organization behind Sesame Street, the pioneering television show that has been reaching and teaching children since 1969. Today, Sesame Workshop is an innovative force for change, with a mission to help kids everywhere grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. We’re active in more than 150 countries, serving vulnerable children through a wide range of media, formal education, and philanthropically-funded social impact programs, each grounded in rigorous research and tailored to the needs and cultures of the communities we serve. For more information, please visit www.sesameworkshop.org. 
 
 ABOUT THE ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON FOUNDATION 
 
 For more than 45 years the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has worked to improve health and health care. We are working alongside others to build a national Culture of Health that provides everyone in America a fair and just opportunity for health and well-being. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org. Follow the Foundation on Twitter at www.rwjf.org/twitter or on Facebook at www.rwjf.org/facebook. 
 
 ABOUT THE JOAN GANZ COONEY FUND FOR VULNERABLE CHILDREN 
 
 The Joan Ganz Cooney Fund for Vulnerable Children was established in 2018 to support content development, training for service providers, research, and implementation for Sesame Street in Communities. Made possible by a generous gift from Joan Ganz Cooney’s late husband Peter G. Peterson, the fund honors Ms. Cooney’s pioneering work as Sesame Street’s co-founder by furthering Sesame Workshop’s commitment to helping children overcome challenges big and small. 
 
 Press Contacts: 
 
 Hallie Ruvin 
 
 Hallie.Ruvin@sesame.org 
 
 Abby Manishor 
 
 amanishor@burness.com 
 
 917-539-3308 ||||| 'Now we don't have our own place to live': 'Sesame Street' introduces first homeless character 
 
 CLOSE Lily, the first homeless character on "Sesame Street," will teach kids a lesson of hope and love. USA TODAY 
 
 Lily, the hot pink puppet with red hair, is the first character to be homeless on "Sesame Street." 
 
 She was first introduced to the series in 2011 where she explained that her family was experiencing food insecurity – they didn't have enough to eat. 
 
 In new online clips, the seven-year-old character explains that she is staying with friends on "Sesame Street" because her family has lost their home. 
 
 "Now we don't have our own place to live, and sometimes I wonder if we'll ever have our own home," Lily expressed to Elmo. 
 
 Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit organization behind "Sesame Street," is reintroducing Lily as the first homeless character on the show in order to provide hope for those children that are currently without a home of their own. The story line was created as a new initiative, and part of the Sesame Street in Communities program, to alleviate the stigma around homelessness. 
 
 In the videos, Lily is also shown to be supported by Elmo who tells her "we got this" and that her friends will always be there for her. 
 
 Sesame Street in Communities has also provided resources for parents and caregivers with free, bilingual resources and activities and suggestions that help mitigate the effects of homelessness in children. There are videos that show Lily being loved by her friends Elmo and Sofia and others that show other kids who don't have homes sharing what the idea of "home" means to them. 
 
 One in 20 children younger than 6 years old in the United States experienced homelessness, according to a 2017 release of a 2014-15 report by the Administration for Children and Families, a division of the Department of Health & Human Services. 
 
 “We know children experiencing homelessness are often caught up in a devastating cycle of trauma – the lack of affordable housing, poverty, domestic violence, or other trauma that caused them to lose their home, the trauma of actually losing their home, and the daily trauma of the uncertainty and insecurity of being homeless,” said Sherrie Westin, President of Global Impact and Philanthropy at Sesame Workshop in a press release. “We want to help disrupt that cycle by comforting children, empowering them, and giving them hope for the future. We want them to know that they are not alone and home is more than a house or an apartment – home is wherever the love lives.” 
 
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– For the first time in its nearly 50-year history, Sesame Street will have a homeless Muppet character. Lily, a character first introduced as a hungry, impoverished little girl in 2011, is now involved in a storyline involving her family becoming homeless and having to stay with friends, CNN reports. For now, she appears in online clips rather than televised episodes of the show. The show launched the storyline as homelessness is increasing across the US; one report released last year estimates that about one in 20 children under the age of 6 experienced homelessness in 2014-15. "When Lily was first launched, she came out as part of the food insecurity initiative. So she's not brand-new, but this seemed like a really perfect extension of her story, so that we could use her to help children identify with," says a Sesame Workshop exec, who adds that another goal is to educate teachers, caregivers, and other children about issues affecting kids, helping them to empathize and to end the stigma around certain issues. "Now we don't have our own place to live, and sometimes I wonder if we'll ever have our own home," Lily says in one clip to Elmo, who reassures her that her friends will always be there for her, per USA Today. A press release about Lily links to resources parents and others can use with their kids. (Last year, Sesame Street introduced the first Muppet with autism.)