Cardboard signs, tattered sleeping bags, and averted glances are the usual signs of homelessness—the sights most people have been conditioned to look past on their way to work or class. It’s an uncomfortable reality that many would rather ignore than address. There is often unfair judgment and common misconceptions around being homeless, which makes many students feel like they shouldn’t get involved or help out. Despite these awkward feelings towards such a massive problem, freshman Aradhya Khare has decided to take action and introduce Advocacy for the Unhoused to Westford Academy.
Advocacy for the Unhoused is WA’s newest addition to the club roster, and has held consistent meetings since the beginning of the 2025-2026 school year. This club meets on Thursdays every two-to-three weeks in the cafeteria.
Khare began the initiative to open Advocacy for the Unhoused at WA after a visit to New York in the summer of 2025.
“The amount of homeless [people] broke my heart. I later [discovered] this is a huge problem in Massachusetts and decided to take action,” Khare said.
Khare’s resolve would be rewarded as two of his friends approached him and gave him a golden opportunity.
“This club was originally started in the Massachusetts town of Hopkinton. It was immensely successful. My friends from Hopkinton encouraged me to start a branch here in Westford,” Khare said. “I agreed and got to work. The club is now a non-profit with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).”
Advocacy for the Unhoused hosts fundraisers in school to gain as much money for the homeless as possible. Fundraisers include opportunities from selling goods to hosting events.
“We donate all of the proceeds to the [homeless] in Massachusetts,” Khare said. “We either give all the money to a charity or buy necessities like blankets and socks and donate them face to face.”
The club has not been able to meet many times this school year, but the meetings they have had have been nothing short of productive, according to Khare.
“At our most recent meeting, we planned [for] later fundraisers and explained some upcoming events and fundraising goals to members,” Khare said.
Though still fairly new, Advocacy for the Unhoused has wasted no time in planning and executing fundraisers.
“So far, we [have] hosted a Valentine’s Day fundraiser for two days during lunch,” Khare said. “We sold bags that contained one toy and three chocolate hearts [for] two dollars each. We sold almost 25 bags, all of our stock, and gained $46.”
Khare will extend the club as far as he can during his four years at WA, with several goals in mind.
“We aim to make the lives of homeless people better. To do this, we will [try] to earn at least $40 each fundraiser. Eventually, we will increase the goals as we gain momentum,” Khare said.
Khare has already gained a sizable membership for the club, having over 15 dedicated members, with members joining for a variety of reasons.
“I decided to join this club because my friend was starting it and I enjoy helping people. I thought my contributions would be beneficial to helping the club. I enjoy brainstorming ideas for fundraisers, how we can help, or similar topics,” freshman Nishil Bhadra said. “[Every] high school student should care about this issue because [few] adults care. If adults can see what we can do then maybe they will do something themselves.”
Khare doesn’t plan to stop here and hopes this motivates more people to help the homeless locally.
“Anybody interested should absolutely join this club because of the strong community it has and the opportunity of making a real impact in this world. It provides a wide variety of leadership roles and I am working towards [getting] volunteer hours for the members,” Khare said.
According to many students, they find their efforts in the club are truly being rewarded, and hope that their actions can inspire others across this town.
“I think raising money for the homeless is the most rewarding part about this,” Bhadra said. “We can help others and other people can see [the] sort of impact that kids my age can truly have.”