What we aim to solve
Our mission is to provide housing and wrap around support for foster families in Brevard county. These foster families care for the neglected, abused, needy, and abandoned children in our state foster system. Nana’s House helps foster parents provide a safe, loving home for the child. We work to provide housing, utilities, transportation, clothing, school supplies, toys, household items, and anything else the foster families and the children they serve may need. The children live in a home with two foster parents – mother and father – and other children – up to five per home. Opportunities for the child to participate in whatever extracurriculars they may have an interest in, be it dance lessons, team sports, swimming lessons – all of which are above and beyond what the child would have experienced in their former life. We provide all of this and more to the foster families in our program.
Population(s) Served
Children and youth (0-19 years)
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Children have one of two situations going on in their life – a hard/hurting heart depending on the length and degree of abuse they have undergone. We believe healing takes place in the heart and then the mind can be transformed. The neglected/abused child in the foster system typically does not care about themselves and feels worthless. Foster parents step in and love them – teach them they are loved and worth something and that they were created for a purpose. Our overarching goal is to make sure the child is safe and comfortable when placed with one of our families, then we provide resources for their foster family to help with anything they may need while the child is in their care.
What are the organization’s key strategies for making this happen?
We provide resources to help the foster family with whatever the child may need. We have built a Gated Community on 7 acres of property with a community building, swimming pool, and a playground in a lovely, wooded setting. We have eight homes housing 5 children and 2 house parents each and provide all utilities, and transportation necessary for the foster families, living in our Nana’s House homes! We also operate a Thrift Store in our community to supplement our income.
What are the organization’s capabilities for doing this?
Nana’s House depends solely on the generosity of the community. We are 100% community funded and every penny donated goes directly to caring for the children. We are 100% volunteers – no paid staff. We do not accept State funding. We are in partnership with the organization One More Child, all of the foster families we serve are licensed and trained by them to care for children in the state foster system. We are governed by a Christian Board of Directors who meet quarterly to oversee our activities and finances.
How will they know if they are making progress?
Our indicators for progress are measured by the number of children we can help, the number of qualified foster parents we can recruit, the devotion of our volunteers, and the community’s response to our fundraising endeavors held throughout the year. We have helped hundreds of children since the inception of Nana’s House in 2009.
What have they accomplished so far and what’s next?
So far, we have completed all 8 houses in our Gated Community as well as our two-story staff apartment, our community pool, and our community garden. We have filled four of our houses and are in the process of placing families in the remaining homes. We also have three onsite staff who oversee the daily operations of our grated community and coordinate activities and events with the Director.
Our most recent announcement has been our partnership with One More Child. Through this new relationship, we will be able to extend the reach of Nana’s House to foster families outside of our gated community, and become involved with their other programs such as their single moms program and their safe homes for sex traffic rescues, etc.
