Youth & Family

Our GREAT (Growth, Resilience, Empowerment, Acceptance, Trust) Youth and Families Program (GYFP) provides academic support services to children in low-income families, diminishing the likelihood of children experiencing homelessness later in life. With offerings from summer camps to after school programs, our academic and tutoring resources can help set low-income families with children up for success. Our academic programming is trauma-informed, and closely integrated with our wellness offerings, though students do not need to participate in other Housing Families programs to be considered for our GYFP offerings.

The Challenge

Education is a powerful tool for all children, but depending on their income level and housing stability, their experiences in school and access to the opportunities that school offers can differ. When a child experiences the trauma of homelessness, it impacts cognitive and social-emotional development, making it hard for them to build strong academic skills and navigate mental health challenges.
According to the Institute for Children, Poverty, and Homelessness, housing instability brings about school instability; namely, homelessness causes a higher rate of frequent school transfers and absenteeism, which can prevent children from accessing educational supports or reaching their highest academic potential. When a child’s housing status prevents them from attending or succeeding in school, they do not have access to the same possibilities as their housed classmates.

more likely to show delayed development are homeless children, when compared to housed peers, according to the Institute on Children, Poverty, and Homelessness

of homeless children repeat a grade in school, a rate 100% higher than their non-homeless counterparts (National Network for Youth)

Our Solution

of children involved with GYFP experienced growth in social skills

of children improved their academic skills through GYFP

Children who participate in GYFP establish healthy relationships with their peers who have experienced homelessness or lived in a low-income setting. Our trauma-informed programs provide children with the academic support necessary to build housing stability in the future.

Our Services

We offer one-on-one academic support and tutoring so that children can offset educational challenges caused by homelessness and experience academic success in school. Pre-school-aged kids can participate in an age-appropriate program to learn about being healthy and work on social skills. Our after school programs are tailored to each child’s needs and do not occur daily.

We work with schools and parents to ensure that every child in our program receives the academic support services they need, and that educators have the tools and trauma-sensitive training necessary to support children who come from low-income backgrounds or who have experienced homelessness.

Summer camps can help children continue learning during school vacation, and GYFP offers an on-site summer camp. We also connect kids in our program with local day and overnight camps in the Greater Boston area. Children who participate in our vacation and summer camps enjoy hands-on activities like arts and crafts, play therapy, and field trips.

I’m thankful for all that I have and I’m proud of my children. My children have been in GYFP since kindergarten…everyone at GYFP was always helpful and always supportive. No judgment. My children are happy and well-adjusted coming to GYFP. My son and daughter both want to go to college. GYFP saved my life.

Claribel

To learn more about our academic support services, contact us

Get Help Now

Covid-19 Response