Posted in: Press Releases

Topics: Culture + Society

For immediate release

BOSTON, Mass. – According to The National Center on Family Homelessness, the number of homeless children in the United States is more than 2.5 million and increasing dramatically. To address this issue, The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds has partnered with Lesley University on their Child Homelessness Initiative to raise awareness and educate the public about child homelessness and its connections to mental health.

The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) will be a communications partner for Lesley University’s Child Homelessness Initiative. The Clay Center will produce a series of three podcasts about the rapidly growing issue of child homelessness in the United States.

The second podcast of the three part series was released today. The podcast features an interview with Jade Gardner, a current Lesley University student involved in the initiative who herself experienced homelessness as a child.

Click here to listen to the podcast released today.

“The mental health of a child without a home is very unstable and doesn’t foster a positive environment for the child or their family. Homelessness is a major problem in our country, and we believe that through our new partnership with Lesley University, we will be able to raise awareness and stimulate discussions and actions to address the issue,” said Gene Beresin, MD, executive director at The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds.

Dr. Gene Beresin and staff from The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds are producing the podcast series along with educators from Lesley University, and individuals who have themselves experienced homelessness.

The Child Homelessness Initiative was established by Lesley University in Cambridge, Mass. in May 2011 with support from the Schoen Family Foundation. The initiative is designed to bring attention to the growing number of children and families without adequate shelter in the Commonwealth and throughout the nation.

As part of the initiative, Lesley University has developed a certificate program that consists of five courses. At the core of this program is the course, Child Homelessness. This class is designed for students as well as practitioners who work with children and families, and brings a multidisciplinary perspective to understanding the nature, origins, and psychosocial consequences of child homelessness. Intervention strategies aimed at addressing the psychological and material needs of homeless children and their families are also included.

The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds will serve as a communications partner for the initiative by creating content and podcasts that the organization will disseminate via its website, mghclaycenter.launchpaddev.com.

For media interview requests, contact Liz Jarrell, director of communications at The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds, at 617-643-1590 or ejarrell@partners.org.

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Caption: Dr. Gene Beresin, executive director at The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds, Dr. Steve Schlozman, associate director at The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds, and Lisa Fiore, PhD, a professor of education at Lesley University, and director of the Child Homelessness Initiative, discuss the challenges of homelessness.

About the Child Homelessness Initiative at Lesley University
The mission of CHI is to prepare Lesley University students and community members—teachers, policy advocates, therapists, and caregivers—with a trauma-informed curriculum that maximizes infant and toddler health, happiness, and well-being; secures their protection from injury and insult; and advances their educational opportunities and citizenship. Lisa Fiore, PhD, is a professor of education at Lesley University, and director of the Child Homelessness Initiative. To learn more, visit www.lesley.edu/child-homelessness-initiative.

About The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds
Based at Massachusetts General Hospital and led by a team of Harvard Medical School faculty members, The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds is a Web-based resource that educates parents and other caregivers about the psychological development and emotional well-being of children, adolescents, and young adults who struggle with behavioral, emotional, and/or learning challenges. The Clay Center features the expertise of its nationally recognized doctors who create engaging and educational mental health content delivered in a wide variety of multimedia formats, including blogs, audio podcasts, online videos, interactive social media, and live online discussions. The content from The Clay Center encourages resilience in individuals and families while increasing the awareness of mental health disorders. To learn more, visit mghclaycenter.launchpaddev.com.

Media contact:
Liz Jarrell, Communications Director
The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds
Work: 617-643-1590
Email: ejarrell@partners.org