Throughout our work at the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, I stress the words of American inspirational author Orison Swett Marden: “There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something tomorrow.” This coming Tuesday, I, along with other community leaders and partners, will kickoff the dedication ceremony for Harvest House’s new Family Village. Not only is this a great personal pride point for our Foundation, but also a triumph for our community and a testament to the power of hope.

For many years, a collection of deteriorating, vacant housing units in the heart of the greater Newtown area was a center of squatting and criminal activity. Investigations revealed cases of child neglect, sex and drug trafficking, robberies and violence. After identifying the issue with the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office, Harvest House looked to find partners to transform the area from a center of crime to a home of hope.

In early 2015, donors of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County along with the Lee Wetherington Foundation, a partner of the Community Foundation, invested more than a quarter of a million dollars to provide the necessary funding to purchase the land and 18 housing units out of foreclosure. Over the next year, with the support of Foundation partners, donors and volunteers, Harvest House worked to renovate the properties into affordable living solutions for the families of their Home Again program, specifically the families of U.S. military veterans and those who have been chronically homeless.

The program provides up to 24 months of supportive housing with case management and life skills classes to further prepare families for meaningful employment and housing stability. Additionally, the units provide a safe environment to promote school attendance and academic growth for children. Part of this program will directly align with the Community Foundation’s two-generation, or as we call it two-gen, approach, creating a cycle of opportunity for vulnerable families by creating opportunities for both vulnerable parents and children together. Through the two-gen lens, the program provides three key components:

• Educational opportunities, helping them with life skills, parental development, mental health counseling and job training.
• Economic supports, such as help with transportation, student financial aid and their subsidized housing.
• Social capital, providing access to a network of peer support including contact with family, friends, neighbors, various community organizations and employment contacts.  

This summer, after the ribbons have been cut, these new homes will provide the support and hope of a new tomorrow for families who are no strangers to crises. They will have the hope of a safe place to live, warm meals to eat, clean clothes to wear and a network of caring individuals who will embolden them to reach new heights in their lives and create better outcomes for their children.

I applaud Harvest House for their innovation, courage and determination in moving forward to create opportunities for the children and families in our region who need our help the most, not only now but over the last 25 years. I also congratulate them on their collaborative spirit and the impact they have shaped through their partnership with Gulf Coast Community Foundation at the North County Emergency Family Haven. Together, we all have the potential to impact another person, a cause, a community.

I hope you can join us for the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony this Tuesday. You can learn more about the event on Facebook here, as well as watch the “before and after” video of the property here.

Roxie Jerde is the president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County.