For the sixth year, Win, the largest provider of shelter and supportive housing for families experiencing homelessness in New York City and the nation, celebrated the end of its summer camp program for children living in Win shelters with its annual Camp Win Carnival.
About 150 of the 500 Camp Win participants from across the five boroughs gathered in the schoolyard of P.S. 124 Silas B. Dutcher on Fourth Avenue in Park Slope on Aug. 18 for a day of arts and crafts, a DJ, face painting, basketball, a book giveaway, carnival games and sweet treats like cotton candy and ice cones.
About 150 young people enjoyed the last hoorah of summer fun at Camp Win’s Carnival.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann 
About 150 young people enjoyed the last hoorah of summer fun at Camp Win’s Carnival.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
Whitaker Wright, Win’s vice president of Program Support Services, told Brooklyn Paper that the capstone event was a great opportunity for the kids to socialize, get some exercise, bond with one another and have a good time as summer was winding down.
“They’ve got to go back to school eventually, so they’re just trying to soak up the last days of summer now. So this is a good way to kind of close out the summer,” Wright said.
More than 65% of people who live in shelters in New York City are families with children, and on any given night, more than 30,000 New York City children call a shelter home. For more than 40 years, Win has provided safe housing, trauma-informed services and innovative programs to help families rebuild their lives. The organization operates 16 shelters and more than 450 units of supportive housing across all five boroughs. In the past year, Win served nearly 12,400 people — including more than 6,700 children — and helped more than 1,000 families transition out of shelter into homes of their own.
Win CEO and President Christine Quinn told Brooklyn Paper that Win houses about 13% of all homeless families in New York City. She explained that the STEM-based camp runs year-round, during summer break and on other days when school is off, highlighting the importance of fun-filled, educational activities like building a volcano or learning about chemical reactions by making ice cream in a Ziploc bag.
“What’s really important to us is giving educational opportunities because all kids have learning loss in the summer, but our kids start behind because, getting evicted, fleeing domestic violence, they have to switch schools,” Quinn explained. “Then when they get out of shelter, they may have to switch schools again. So on average, unhoused children go to two to three [different] schools a year, which obviously creates learning loss. So it’s important that we’re doing things that are educational, but it’s also important that we’re doing things through a trauma-informed care lens.”
About 150 young people enjoyed the last hoorah of summer fun at Camp Win’s Carnival.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann 
About 150 young people enjoyed the last hoorah of summer fun at Camp Win’s Carnival.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann 
About 150 young people enjoyed the last hoorah of summer fun at Camp Win’s Carnival.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
Nine-year-old Belene Leiva from The Bronx said the camp kept her entertained throughout the summer.
“We have a lot of fun. We go on trips, and it’s like pretty much really fun,” Belene declared.
Eleven-year-old Trinity from Staten Island and her friend, 12-year-old Symphony, were busy painting designs on a T-shirt at one of the craft tables. Both praised the variety of camp activities.
“It was fun, and [we went] on a lot of trips. We went to a museum; we went to a basketball camp, and we went to a basketball game,” Trinity shared.
“The summer camp is fun. I like it. I like the teachers; they’re kind to everybody, and they have a good attitude and gratitude,” Symphony added.
Summer camp in New York City can cost hundreds to thousands of dollars — a cost out of reach for many homeless families. The camp is part of Win’s mission to ensure its youngest shelter residents enjoy a summer break filled with enrichment and activities.
The program features daily STEM activities specifically aimed at reducing summer learning loss and closing the achievement gap for homeless youth, along with in-shelter programming and field trips to keep kids entertained all summer long. One of the highlights of this year’s summer camp was horse camp at GallopNYC, a therapeutic riding program in Howard Beach, Queens. This summer, two groups visited the horse camp for one week each, and Quinn hopes to raise additional money to extend the program to four weeks next year.
About 150 young people enjoyed the last hoorah of summer fun at Camp Win’s Carnival.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann 
About 150 young people enjoyed the last hoorah of summer fun at Camp Win’s Carnival.
For Quinn and her team, programs like Camp Win are all about building community and creating memories for kids going through a difficult time. She said many unhoused families felt isolated and that kids living in shelter were often bullied in school.
“When they get to come to an event like this and not only see the kids they see in the hallway, but see other kids from other shelters, it reminds them they’re not alone and that they’re part of a community. When you can facilitate community, the children will carry that with them. Hopefully, as they leave the shelter, they know that they’re part of something bigger. They’re not so different, and that there are people out there that you can ask for help and who will say yes,” Quinn said.
“When [the kids] look back on however long they were with us in shelter, it’s not a good time in their lives, but at least they have a memory of a day where they got to play, a day where they got to get their face painted, and that they can hold that memory. And hopefully, as they go through life and experience other challenging things, they’ll remember there really is always a silver lining. Even when Mom and I had to stay in a shelter, there were people and things that were good.”