'Sesame Street' introduces Lily, a muppet created to educate children on homelessness

A homeless muppet will be introduced for the first time on "Sesame Street" as a way to raise awareness about childhood homelessness.

Lily, who is 7, will be the new character whose family lost their home. She was originally described as being "food insecure" because her family lacked consistent access to food. But now, Sesame Workshop has expanded her storyline to include that her family stays with friends.

Her journey with homelessness won't appear in televised episodes - she'll be featured in online videos, storybooks and interactive online activities.

The initiative was launched Wednesday as part of the "Sesame Street" in Communities program. As part of the initiative, there are also free and bilingual materials created to help children experiencing homelessness.