“It’s hard for a child to live in a shelter. They can’t invite...

“It’s hard for a child to live in a shelter. They can’t invite their friends over. They can’t have sleepovers. They can’t have their own space. They can’t go to their room when they’re being punished. There’s no personal time for them to discover themselves without interruption. There’s even confusion toward the word ‘home.’ Sometimes they’ll say ‘I’m going home,’ but then they’ll correct themselves and say, ‘I’m going upstairs.’ We tell them that this is where they are staying while they make plans. This is only their home until they find a real home.”

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This is one of a series of portraits featuring residents and staff of the Win Homeless Shelter for Women And Children. In addition to providing programs and services aimed at breaking the cycle of homelessness, Win provides shelter for 4500 people across NYC every night, including 2700 children.