The number of homeless kids in New York City shelters has reached an all-time high—there are enough to fill Yankee Stadium—but a long-running summer camp is giving these kids a chance to forget about the stress of living in a shelter for a while and just be kids.

The Camp Homeward Bound.Photo byWNYC From Threads

Camp Homeward Bound will hold its summer camp 45 miles north of the city for the 40th year in a row. About 360 kids who live in shelters or used to be homeless will be able to call the camp home. Kids from 7 to 15 years old go there for two weeks to swim, ride bikes, cook, dance, and play.

Since two summers ago, the camp has been able to help more kids. According to the people in charge of the program, about half of the campers are now migrant kids. The camps last 16 days and there are three classes for kids. They can come back every summer, even after they move out of homeless shelters. A few of them go back to work as counselors.

The Director of The Camp

Bev McEntarfer, the director of the camp, said that her group has added more Spanish-speaking staff to work with children from Venezuela and Ecuador who are coming to the U.S. as refugees, as well as some French-speaking staff.

She said that many of the kids who come to the camp these days don't have as many things with them like good shoes and warm jackets, which the camp gives them by accepting donations.

Camp Homeward Bound was created in 1984 to help kids get out of overcrowded hotel shelters and spend time in a quiet place in Southfields, New York. This is a green area with rolling hills and trees just west of the Thruway in Orange County.