(CNN) For the first time, a resident of "Sesame Street" is experiencing homelessness -- and the hope is that her story can help sweep the clouds away for the growing number of young children in the United States without homes to call their own.

Lily, a 7-year-old bright pink Muppet, was introduced to the world in 2011. She was originally described as being food-insecure because her family lacked consistent access to food.

Now, "Lily is the first Muppet we've created whose storyline includes that she is experiencing homelessness," said Sherrie Westin, president of global impact and philanthropy for Sesame Workshop , formerly Children's Television Workshop, which is the nonprofit behind "Sesame Street."

In new online videos, stories and resources, Sesame Workshop has expanded Lily's storyline to include that her family has lost their home and now must stay with friends. This homelessness initiative launched Wednesday as part of Sesame Workshop's Sesame Street in Communities program.

"When Lily was first launched, she came out as part of the food insecurity initiative. So she's not brand new, but this seemed like a really perfect extension of her story, so that we could use her to help children identify with," Westin said. "With any of our initiatives, our hope is that we're not only reaching the children who can identify with that Muppet but that we're also helping others to have greater empathy and understanding of the issue."

Although her journey with homelessness will not appear in televised episodes of "Sesame Street" at this point, she will be in separate videos and materials in the initiative.

"The goal is really to give service providers, parents, teachers tools in order to address homelessness with children, in order to talk about it and raise awareness of the issue from a child's perspective and also to help children experiencing homelessness feel less alone," Westin said.

"I think we tend to think of homelessness as an adult issue and don't always look at it through the lens of a child, and we realize that Sesame has a unique ability to do that, to look at tough issues with the lens of a child," she said.

'Humanizing the experience of homelessness'

A report released last year by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development revealed that homelessness is increasing across the country, with 553,742 people nationwide homeless on a single night in 2017, an increase of 0.7% from the previous year.

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About 1 in 20 children younger than 6 experienced homelessness in 2014 to 2015, according to a report released last year by the US Administration for Children and Families

During the 2013-14 school year, more than 1.3 million homeless children and youth were enrolled in public schools, according to the US Department of Education

However, in general, the exact number of homeless youth in America remains a mystery.

"Numbers are always trouble," said Megan Hustings, interim director of the National Coalition for the Homeless

The number of young people who have experienced homelessness varies depending on age, time frame and how homelessness is defined, but between 500,000 and 2.8 million youth are thought to be homeless within the United States each year, according to the Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs

Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Julia, a new autistic muppet character, will join the cast of "Sesame Street" in April. The character was first introduced during the new Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children Hide Caption 1 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Sesame Street's original star Big Bird has led the show since its first episode in 1969. The 8-foot Muppet often doesn't understand what's going on but sets the tone for the show by never hesitating to find out. Hide Caption 2 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street "Sesame Street's" Muppet characters were originally intended to be support for the human cast, but test audiences responded so warmly to Bert and Ernie's sketches that the producers put Muppets in starring roles. The comic duo have been two of the show's most popular characters ever since. Hide Caption 3 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Sonia Manzano played shop owner Maria for nearly 45 years before retiring in July. She also worked as a writer for the show. Hide Caption 4 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Alan Muraoka is the owner of Hooper's Store. He also works as a performer on Broadway. Hide Caption 5 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Alison Bartlett O'Reilly took the role of Gina, an assistant at Hooper's Store and babysitter for Elmo and Zoe. She joined the ensemble in 1987. Hide Caption 6 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Bob McGrath was one of the first four human cast members on Sesame Street. He is known for his music and singalongs, although Bob can also tell a good story or two. Hide Caption 7 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Christopher Knowings helps out at Hooper's Store. He was cast in 2006. Hide Caption 8 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Emilio Delgado, who plays Luis, was the first human cast member. When something needs to be fixed, he is the man to call. Hide Caption 9 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Ismael Cruz Cordova is a new addition as Armando. He's best known for his role in the CBS drama "The Good Wife." Hide Caption 10 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Loretta Long has played Susan since the show's beginning. When Big Bird needed comforting, Susan was there to help, and she is known for her maternal instincts. Hide Caption 11 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Nitya Vidyasagar joined "Sesame Street" as Leela. The recent addition has a background in theater performance. Hide Caption 12 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Roscoe Orman has played Gordon, husband to Susan, since Sesame Street began. Orman's real-life son Miles joined the cast in season 17 as Gordon's son, solidifying Orman's role as a kind and caring father. Hide Caption 13 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street The Muppet Show made him a star, but Kermit the Frog had begun winning younger fans on "Sesame Street," explaining to kids that "It's Not Easy Bein' Green" for the first time in 1970. Hide Caption 14 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Fifteen years passed between the premiere of "Sesame Street" and Elmo getting his big break in 1984. But since then, the furry red monster with the high-pitched voice has gone on to become arguably the show's most popular Muppet. Hide Caption 15 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street "Om nom nom nom" -- Cookie Monster's voracious appetite for his favorite chocolate chip treats have endeared him to viewers since "Sesame Street's" first season. He's even managed to fit in teaching some important lessons: Thanks to him, generations of kids have grown up knowing that "C" is for cookie. Hide Caption 16 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street A bad-tempered green monster who loves "anything dirty or dingy or dusty" and lives in a trash can: perhaps not an obvious choice for a children's TV hero. Yet Oscar the Grouch, whose ambition is to be as miserable as possible, has failed to ruin viewers moods, bringing humor and fun to the Street. Hide Caption 17 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Zoe broke into "Sesame Street's" largely male Muppet cast in 1994, becoming the show's stand-out female character. As she appears to be about the same age as Elmo, the two often spend time together. They are understood to be best friends. Hide Caption 18 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Nothing can interrupt the Count when he's counting. Whether counting from one to 10 or up to a billion (as he did in 2013 to celebrate "Sesame Street's" 1 billion YouTube views), the Count is happiest with numbers. He can now count over 40 years of appearances on "Sesame Street" since his debut in 1972. Hide Caption 19 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street Is Grover the coolest Muppet on "Sesame Street"? He certainly thinks he is and describes himself as a "cute, furry little monster." Grover is one of the favorite creations of "Sesame Street" puppeteer Frank Oz, who said his generous personality and distinctive way of pronouncing each word "came about organically" when he brought the Muppet to the Street in 1970. Hide Caption 20 of 21 Photos: The stars of Sesame Street For many years, the adults on "Sesame Street" didn't believe that Mr. Snuffleupagus was real. The gigantic Muppet had an uncanny way of disappearing just before adult characters arrived, and many assumed he was Big Bird's imaginary friend. The very real Muppet is one of the Street's most cultured residents, revealing a love of ballet, opera and art since his first appearance in 1971. Hide Caption 21 of 21

Lily's story as a Muppet serves as an example of how homelessness has become a growing issue in America, said Hustings, who has no relationship with Sesame Workshop.

"It's like, wow, we've gotten to this point where this era of homelessness has become so common and so entrenched that it begs a character on 'Sesame Street' to help children understand what they're seeing in their communities," Hustings said.

"But we know that 'Sesame Street' is coming from a place of education and really wants to build awareness and understanding of all of our community members, despite differences, which is really amazing," she said.

Highlighting Lily's experiences with homelessness can positively impact the way children today think about homelessness and people in poverty, said Rashmita Mistry, a professor of education at the University of California, Los Angeles , who is not involved in Sesame Workshop.

"Young children quickly develop ideas about the homeless based on what they see, observe and hear. And, unfortunately, their perceptions lead them to form negative impressions about the homeless," Mistry said.

"Humanizing the experience of homelessness is especially important because families with young children and school-age children make up a sizable proportion of the homeless population, especially so in urban communities where there's high cost of housing, a tight housing market and limited rent control along with low and non-sustainable wages," she said. "Homelessness is also a much more varied experience than living on the streets and -- as defined by the Department of Education -- includes living in a car, a motel, a shelter and doubling up with friends. Yet this is a group we often do not talk about."

Other Muppets making a difference

Since "Sesame Street" launched in 1969 , it has established a reputation for inclusion with its characters.

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Just last year, the "Sesame Street" show introduced a resident named Julia, who has autism

Julia was already popular in digital form when Sesame Workshop launched its nationwide initiative " Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children " in 2015, which offers resources for families on how to talk about autism and support the autism community.

In 2002, "Sesame Street" in South Africa, called " Takalani Sesame ," introduced Kami , the world's first Muppet with HIV.

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Kami, the 5-year-old yellow Muppet, is often shown laughing, playing and linking arms with her friends. Her storyline provides basic knowledge of HIV and destigmatization and teaches children how to cope with loss.

At the time she was introduced, "one in seven children in South Africa was affected by HIV and AIDS. They were either infected themselves or had lost a parent," Westin said. "We created the first preschool curriculum, and in that, we created a character so that Kami would help destigmatize HIV and AIDS, to help break down that culture of silence."