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United Way of Miami, one of the leading and longest-standing non-profits in South Florida, has announced a $1.5 million pledge to Lotus Endowment Fund Inc. to help fund the launch and operations over the next three years of the Children’s Village at Lotus Village.
The innovative new children’s neighborhood education and resource center will provide support, education, tools and resources to the sheltered children, youth and families of Lotus House and the children, youth and families of Miami’s Overtown community.
The Children’s Village is located next to Lotus House, the nation’s largest women’s homeless shelter, complementing the organization’s 500-bed shelter. Now under construction, the Children’s Village is located at 219 NW 14 Terr. and is expected to open by early 2025.
The Children’s Village will include a preschool for up to 80 children, ages 3 to 5, which is one of United Way Miami’s 20 Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership sites, a middle school, afterschool and summer programs, child and family therapeutic services, access to legal, health and social services, an exciting new playground, and a vast array of community resources and programming.
In addition, through United Way Miami’s economic mobility pillar, UpSkill Miami, a transformative workforce initiative, the organization will train and employ the residents of the Lotus and Children’s Village.
Lotus Endowment Fund, the nonprofit supporting foundation for Lotus House and its initiatives, has launched a capital campaign to support the development and operation of the Children’s Village at Lotus Village. To date, Lotus Endowment Fund has raised more than $14 million in pledges, more than half of its initial $25-plus million capital campaign goal, for this special project for children and families.
“The Children’s Village is a child-centered, education and resource center, the first of its kind in our community, launching our innovative new collective impact model,” said Constance Collins, Lotus House founder and the executive director of Lotus Endowment Fund.
“We are excited that United Way of Miami is joining the many Overtown community providers who will be embedded in and working collaboratively with Lotus House in the Children’s Village, supporting, educating, healing and investing in the future of our sheltered children and the children and families of our beloved Overtown community. In the Children’s Village, we will both end and prevent homelessness, taking the work of Lotus House to the next level,” Collins added.
“This is a powerful example of a collective model that brings essential services directly to people’s doorsteps,” said Symeria T. Hudson, president and CEO of United Way Miami. “As homelessness continues to rise in Miami-Dade County, this approach is critical—expanding accessibility, promoting inclusivity, reducing barriers, fostering community engagement, and ultimately enhancing the quality of life for those who need it most.
“Each year, United Way Miami touches the lives of more than 187,000 individuals – creating access to its four core pillars: health and wellbeing, education, resilient communities and economic mobility. We know and understand that collaboration is at the heart of all our successes, and we will continue to work together to build a stronger Miami for all,” Hudson added.
In addition to United Way and Lotus House, community providers who will soon call the Children’s Village at Lotus Village their new home will include Easterseals South Florida, Urgent Inc., Girl Power Rocks, Overtown Optimist Club, Overtown Children and Youth Coalition, Legal Services of Greater Miami, Miami Mindful Kids, Arts for Learning, Children’s Bereavement Center, Alliance for LGBTQ Youth, Nana’s Restart, and Lotus House’s Center for the Advancement of Children and Families, in addition to a coalition of health and wellness providers.
United Way plans to offer residents access to comprehensive wrap around services, financial coaching, legal aid, job preparedness and placement assistance, emergency financial support among other resources. Through the curriculum offered by the Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership, children will receive lessons on key areas: Meaningful Environments, Dual Language Learning, Early Literacy, Family Engagement, Social-Emotional Development, technology and more.
The Children’s Village is made possible by Lotus Endowment Fund, a non-profit foundation that supports Lotus House and its initiatives, and generous donors to the ongoing capital campaign.
Since opening its doors in 2006, Lotus House has sheltered more than 12,000 women, children, and youth, representing more than 2.1 million shelter bed nights and over 5 million meals served. In 2018, the organization debuted the award-winning, state-of-the-art Lotus Village facility, which has set national standards for shelter design, operation, and programming.
Today, more than 85 percent of the shelter’s guests successfully exit the shelter system following their time at Lotus Village, far exceeding the national average of between 60 and 65 percent.
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