Clothing insecurity among children and adolescents increases in Westchester County

Food insecurity isn’t the only basic necessity facing Westchester County. The sharing shelfa nonprofit clothing bank that serves the region, released new data showing that the need for properly sized seasonal clothing for children and teens tripled between 2018 and 2023. Here are some numbers:

2018 2023

Ssocial service agencies, schools, and other nonprofit organizations served

53,123

Winter coats distributed

702 2294

Wardrobe packs provided (each containing a week's worth of clothes)

1,809 4,907

Clothing requests received

1,863 5,579

While Westchester is among the wealthiest counties in the country, its poverty rate for children under 5 increased from 9.5% to 11.7% from 2021 to 2022, according to theWestchester Children's Associationand more than 67,000 children and adolescents live in poverty or low-income households.

Studies show that school attendance and academic performance improve among children and adolescents who wear clean clothes, because appropriate clothing boosts a child or adolescent's self-esteem and motivation, a said a Sharing Shelf spokesperson. Children and teens who don't dress well are also more likely to be bullied by their peers and miss school, so they fall academically. During the high school years, they are more likely to drop out, leading to lifelong socioeconomic, medical, and psychological consequences for themselves and others.

As young people age in the workforce, appropriate clothing is essential to making a good first impression in a job interview and, once landed, retaining that position. This is why this year, The Sharing Shelf launched ATeen Boutique (adjacent to its Port Chester warehouse), where teens in financial need, referred by schools and nonprofits, canselect their own clothes for free in a private, dignified setting that has the feel of a real boutique. 

“Clothing insecurity needs to be addressed alongside the better-recognized food insecurity and housing insecurity,” said Deborah Blatt, founder and executive director of The Sharing Shelf. “This data reveals the scale of the challenge in Westchester and the need to fully address it.”