Sharing Shelf Finds Clothing Insecurity Can Lead To School Troubles

PORT CHESTER, NY — A new survey from the Sharing Shelf finds that clothing insecurity can lead to a host of issues to overcome for students.

The Sharing Shelf, a clothing bank serving Westchester County, unveiled the results of a survey of more than 100 caseworkers at the schools and social service agencies served by the nonprofit organization.

The survey sheds light on both the types of clothing needed and the impacts on students of not having age-appropriate, season-appropriate, well-fitting clothing that reflects the personality of the students.

"Clothing insecurity is often overlooked, on the theory that as long as one has some kind of clothes, there’s no problem," Sharing Shelf Founder and Executive Director Deborah Blatt explained. "But for students to perform well in school — and stay in school — they need to have clothes that are the right size, that are appropriate to the season, that reflect their personality, and they need enough of them to be clean. Clothing insecurity should be tackled in conjunction with the better-recognized food insecurity and housing insecurity. These survey results show us why."

Based on responses from 109 caseworkers, 88 percent report emotional impacts; 72 percent report social impacts, and 58 percent report academic impacts.

92 of the caseworkers reported seeing firsthand evidence of low self-esteem. 60 reported students being bullied over their clothing. 40 reported students missing school because of clothing insecurity. 22 say it impacts a child’s friendships and 2o say clothing issues contributed negatively to a child's behavior. In some cases, clothing insecurity led to a child or teen not participating in sports/after-school activities, having poor academic performance, becoming withdrawn or having a stressed relationship with a parent.

"The survey results are especially notable," Alex Gatti, Chair of the Board of The Sharing Shelf, said, "because they highlight the impact of clothing insecurity on students in need: 84 percent of the 109 responding caseworkers cite the impact on low self-esteem; 55 percent cite the impact on being bullied; 37 percent cite the impact on skipping school. Those are big percentages, and they reveal how devastating clothing insecurity can be for students in need."

The most needed items of clothing, cited in responses from 123 caseworkers, were sneakers, coats, shirts, jeans/pants, underwear/diapers, sweatshirts/sweaters, sweatpants/leggings, shoes, and socks.

The Sharing Shelf addresses the clothing needs of children and teens — from newborn to age 19.

These survey results are especially timely, according to Sharing Shelf officials, as applications for clothing received by the organization have nearly tripled over the last five years: from 1,863 in 2018 to 5,579 in 2023. While Westchester is among the nation’s wealthiest counties, its poverty rate for children under five grew from 9.5 percent to 11.7 percent from 2021 to 2022, according to the Westchester Children’s Association. Over 67,000 children and teens live in poverty or in a low-income home.