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Lotus House, the nation’s largest women’s homeless shelter and a model for holistic shelter services, recently celebrated the opening of the Children’s Village at Lotus Village, an innovative education and resource center serving Lotus House’s sheltered children and the children and families of the surrounding community.
Designed to advance the safety, education, health and wellbeing of children, youth and families, the 71,000-square-foot facility transforms a once-neglected corner of Miami’s Overtown neighborhood into a beacon of learning, creativity, and hope.
Joining the team of philanthropists and corporations supporting the Children’s Village is Ken Griffin, founder and CEO of Citadel and founder of Griffin Catalyst. Through a $5 million gift to the capital campaign, Griffin is helping to ensure that every child in Miami has access to the resources and opportunities needed to thrive.
“Lotus Village was developed on the premise that a shelter built on a foundation of evidence-based therapies and holistic programming could end the cycle of homelessness,” said Constance Collins, founder of Lotus House. “Nearly two decades later, more than 86 percent of our guests are exiting the shelter system following their stay at Lotus Village.
“The next step is preventing homelessness by empowering children and families through educational and therapeutic supports, year-round programming, and greater access to healthcare and social services – all under one roof at the Children’s Village. We are deeply grateful to Ken Griffin for his generous support and shared belief in the power of community to change lives,” Collins added.
“The Children’s Village is a powerful example of how communities can come together to create lasting change,” Griffin said. “When we invest in children, we invest in the future of our city — in the ideas, talent, and potential that will define Miami for generations to come. Lotus House is helping to ensure that every child has the foundation to dream boldly and achieve their full promise, and I’m committed to supporting this mission.”
The launch of the Children’s Village was marked with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Thursday, Nov. 6. Lotus House’s leadership, community partners, and board of directors were joined by an array of special guests including Gloria Estefan — a singer, songwriter, actress and longtime advocate for women’s causes — as well as Gisele Bündchen — renowned supermodel, bestselling author, philanthropist and a longtime Lotus House supporter, board member, and dedicated advocate for women and children in need.
The Children’s Village is the first facility of its kind in Miami-Dade County and a newly conceived national model premised on a collective-impact strategy in which nonprofit community providers work side by side to deliver enriched educational programming and holistic therapeutic services and supports for children and families. Located across the street from Lotus House’s 500-bed shelter, the Children’s Village expands the nonprofit’s mission to end — and prevent — homelessness by investing in children and strengthening families for safer, brighter futures.
Anchored by Lotus House’s Center for the Advancement of Children and Families, the Children’s Village will serve as the new home for 14 nonprofit organizations providing an array of educational programming, therapeutic supports, social services, and resources for both Lotus House shelter guests and children and families from the surrounding community:
Arts4Learning for creative arts programming;
Care4U for healthcare services and a school nurse;
Children’s Bereavement Center for children struggling with loss;
Easter Seals South Florida for a preschool serving up to 80 children ages 3-5;
Girl Power Rocks for teens after school and summer programs;
Legal Services of Greater Miami for legal services;
Lotus House Center for the Advancement of Children and Families for evidence-based assessments and therapeutic supports;
Mindful Kids Miami for yoga and mindfulness practices;
Nana’s Restart for community outreach and events;
Overtown Optimist Club for after school and summer programs;
Overtown Children & Youth Coalition, a partnership of youth serving organizations;
The Alliance for LGBTQ Youth for counseling and supportive services;
United Way for financial literacy, budgeting, and family financial strengthening, and
Urgent Inc and Urgent Academy for middle-school, after-school, and summer programs.
From the humblest of beginnings in 2006, Lotus House has continued to blossom, serving more than 13,500 women, children, and youth to date. In 2018, the organization debuted the state-of-the-art Lotus Village, which set a new national standard for shelter design, operations, and programming.
The Children’s Village comes at a critical time as a new survey by the University of Florida Shimberg Center for Housing Studies found that average apartment rents in Florida rose by 39 percent from 2019 to 2024, fueling a 28 percent spike in homelessness among families.
“The key to success of the Lotus House program has been a holistic approach with wrap-around supportive services addressing safety, health, and wellbeing, as well as educational, employment, and housing needs,” said Isabella Dell Oca, executive director of Lotus House.
“Above all, we are committed to putting children first – understanding they need a wide range of educational programming, health and therapeutic services, a sense of safety and belonging even and especially in times of transition, and playful, creative environments that allow them to just be kids.”
“Miami is once again coming together to end cycles of poverty and homelessness,” Collins said. “Lotus House is deeply grateful to the entire Dream Team, the generous founders of the Children’s Village who are contributing to our capital campaign, and our beloved community for making this dream come true for our Lotus House children and the children and families of Overtown and the surrounding community. The Children’s Village is proof that it takes a village.”
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