BUFFALO – Liftoff Western New York hosted its Strong Foundations: Housing as a Building Block of Early Childhood Development panel this past Friday (September 12) inside The Buffalo History Museum. The talk brought together some of the biggest leaders in homelessness and early childhood development throughout the Western New York region that included New York State Senator, Sean Ryan, MD and Chair of the New York State American Academy of Pediatrics, Dr. Jeff Kaczorowski, Executive Director of the Homeless Alliance, Kexin Ma, and Youth Program and Outreach Manager for Family Promise, Jenn Kegler.
The special discussion that brought audience members from as far as Chicago, explored the links between secure and safe housing and early childhood development. The event explored how housing challenges show up in the lives of young children and caregivers and what it will take to advance solutions that truly meet their needs. The powerful conversation included the aforementioned local leaders who are working across systems to improve housing access and stability in our region.
The importance of such talks can not be overstated as the fastest growing segment of the unhoused population in Western New York is children between the ages of 0-5.
The afternoon opened with remarks from Megan Battista, LiftOff WNY’s Learning and Advocacy Coordinator, who then turned it over to Ma, who led the room in a spirited and eye-opening discussion about the numbers and data behind not only child, but family homelessness overall. She explained that when housing isn’t affordable or stable, families with young children face barriers that disrupt healthy development and place added strain on caregivers.
Ma pointed out that one of four people experiencing homelessness in our region are children under the age of 18 and explained how not only is homelessness in general on the rise in our community (nearly 7,000 individuals in 2024, up from 5,000 in previous years) but that 1,654 or 23.4 percent of that total number are children, stressing the importance that action needs to be taken now.
After the presentation, the event turned into a panel discussion that was run by LiftOff WNY’s Director, Rachel Bonsignore. For the next hour, Ryan, Kaczorowski, Ma and Kegler alternated between taking questions from Bonsignore and the room full of audience members.
Senator Ryan echoed Ma’s data and got the important panel discussion started by sharing his commitment to advance policies around safe, affordable and accessible housing. Through his strong efforts, he has helped secure $80 million in the state budget to expand housing plans, which aims to address the shortage of high-quality affordable housing in Buffalo and across Upstate New York.
Dr. Kaczorowski followed him and confirmed that through his and his organization’s extensive research, an unstable environment can delay a child’s social, cognitive and emotional development and he emphasized the importance of a stable home.
When asked one thing that panelists would like decision makers or other like-minded foundations to hear, Ms. Kegler hit the nail on the head as she pointed out the desire for a more streamlined process and to make it more simple to navigate the system. She mentioned that even with decades of work, the process was always changing and evolving for her staff and that it has become almost unnavigable for the general public. It was noted that the process needed to become more streamlined as fast as possible, so that families could access these critical resources easier and when they need them most.
The conclusion of the discussion was that every child deserves a strong start and that includes a safe, stable place to call home. Home is where young children begin to learn, play, grow and connect and it is the biggest factor in a child’s development. Housing is not just about having a roof overhead. It affects how children grow, how families stay healthy and how parents are able to work, care and plan for the future.