A historic terrace in midtown played host to an Aug. 26 carnival, featuring face painting, balloon art, music, crafts, games and a magic show — all enjoyed by children living in homeless shelters throughout the city.
The nonprofit Win, whose original name was Women in Need, held the carnival at Inside Park at St. Bart’s, an end-of-summer party that pulled out all the stops. One hundred to 150 kids, plus staff and some parents, attended the event as a welcome break from their daily routines.
The day helped “end the summer with a bang,” said Whittaker Wright, assistant vice president for program support services.
The nonprofit’s summer youth program, Camp Win, operates all summer and during school breaks to provide fun and educational experiences for kids — and all-important childcare for working parents. The camp has taken kids to museums, plays, zoos and other fun activities.
“As soon as school’s out, camp begins,” Wright told the Bronx Times. “It’s tough being in a shelter, but Camp Win gives families a way to work during the summer and know their kids are safe.”
Win serves mostly female heads-of-household and also some men. It operates 14 shelters across the five boroughs, with two in the Bronx. As the city’s largest provider of shelter services, Win served 10,300 homeless people — including 5,600 children — last year.
The Bronx shelters support about 270 parents and children, according to Morgan Ortiz, vice president of transitional housing.
Win provides a temporary, furnished place to stay, usually for around 11 to 12 months, as well as holistic support to help families transition to permanent housing. Oftentimes the first area of need is childcare so that parents can work — and that’s where Camp Win and its year-round services step in.
“We never want a family to have a barrier because of child recreation,” Ortiz told the Bronx Times.
Ortiz said children living in shelters miss out on many childhood experiences — they can’t even invite a friend over to play. That lack of socialization “puts another level of strain” on an already stressful situation, she said.
The camp, culminating in the carnival, offers one way for children in shelters to have a “normalized experience,” said Ortiz.
At the carnival, an immediate crowd of kids formed around the snow cone and cotton candy stations. A DJ played music while children and adults sat for face painting and temporary tattoos, strung personalized beaded bracelets and tried their hand at cup toss games.
Among those enjoying the day were Cecia, a Bronx native who did not provide her last name, and her eight-year-old daughter. They have been living in a Win shelter for the past 5½ years, much longer than the average stay. As an undocumented immigrant looking to work, “It’s not easy,” Cecia told the Bronx Times.
She said she has several family members living in the city but no longer has a relationship with them. Win provides some of the support she needs, as well as food and clothing, Cecia said.
“I try to hang in, stay strong for my baby,” she said. “I try not to stress too much.”
At the carnival, Cecia and her daughter relaxed and enjoyed painting colorful clay figurines and eating cotton candy.
“I never have fun like this,” she said.
Christine Quinn, CEO and president of Win, said the carnival is always entertaining, but it’s also a way for children to see that many adults — not just their parents — are supporting them and want to help “create a memory that is a positive memory,” she said.
“Being homeless is a particularly acute trauma to a child,” Quinn said. But for at least a few hours, the children staying at Win shelters could enjoy just being kids.
Reach Emily Swanson at eswanson@schnepsmedia.com or (646) 717-0015. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
