Homeless Girl Scouts Form Troop in New York City

Troop 6000 makes their home in a Sleep Inn in Queens that the city of New York is using as a temporary homeless shelter.

1 minute read

April 20, 2017, 5:00 AM PDT

By Casey Brazeal @northandclark


Teamwork

Chinnapong / Shutterstock

In the city of New York, where high rents make even some fully employed people turn to shelters, a Girl Scout troop has formed in a homeless shelter. "The new troop is among a number of programs begun by the city to meet the needs of children, who make up nearly 40 percent of the roughly 60,000 people in the city’s primary shelter system," Nikita Stewart reports for the New York Times.

Giselle Burgess who started and leads troop 6000 is homeless herself and wanted her daughters to have the opportunity to be Girl Scouts. "As Mayor Bill de Blasio and his administration grapple with a crisis of homelessness, the city has placed about 7,500 people in commercial hotels," Stewart writes. Of those in shelters and hotels roughly 40 percent are children.

Sunday, April 16, 2017 in The New York Times

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Close-up of "Apartment for rent" sign in red text on black background in front of blurred building

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program

Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

April 21, 2025 - Housing Wire

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 23, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Ken Jennings stands in front of Snohomish County Community Transit bus.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series

The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

April 20, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

Yellow electric school bus with preteen students exiting.

California Invests Additional $5M in Electric School Buses

The state wants to electrify all of its school bus fleets by 2035.

April 25 - Associated Press

City Hall building in Austin, Texas.

Austin Launches $2M Homelessness Prevention Fund

A new grant program from the city’s Homeless Strategy Office will fund rental assistance and supportive services.

April 25 - Spectrum Local News

Brick school building with mid-sized tree on front lawn.

Alabama School Forestry Initiative Brings Trees to Schoolyards

Trees can improve physical and mental health for students and commnity members.

April 25 - Governing