Volusia County (June 2008) 35% of the homeless population are women 27% of the homeless population are between the ages of 18 and 40 18% of the homeless population are under the age of 18 53% of the population are homeless due to break-up, separation or divorce

Visitation Maternity House is a program of Catholic Charities of Central Florida in partnership with St. Peter Catholic Church in Deland, Volusia County, Florida. The services are designed to address the needs of unmarried pregnant women who are either currently or in danger of becoming homeless. The Church provides the facilities and Catholic Charities provides the program. The facility utilizes the former convent on Church property and another home adjacent to the old convent. The old convent has one dorm style room accommodating 4 people: 3 private bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, an office and quarters for the housemother. The adjacent house has room for 3 women and 6 children with a house mother suite.

Case Management is an integral part of the program. Case management services include educational, academic, healthy life skills, parenting and relationship training. There is also vocational training to empower each resident to become self-sufficient. While the platform is housing, we recognize that our service delivery to the women and their children must be tailored and as unique as our clients.

Community Benefits:

Meet a Resident: Hello, I’m Shayla, I am 18 and I just feel so blessed and thankful for Visitation House, for the miracle they have done. They have been an inspiration in my life. When I was 12, I was dropped off on CBC steps and left there until I was 18. I was released to my Auntie. I left there because of all the drugs. I had no where to live and I was homeless. I would walk the streets all day and sleep on a porch at night. When I arrived at Visitation House the people were great. They welcomed me with open arms and let me know they were here to help.

•Decrease the number of homeless families in Volusia County
• Promote a safe environment for the women and their children
• Provide education to enable better life choices.
• Decrease the burden on limited community resources.

Collaboration:

• Churches and Faith-based Organizations (10 Parishes and 6
faith-based organizations in Volusia County)
• Free Clinic— secondary medical clinic is a block away and
part of local faith-based services
• Other Catholic Charities services: Food Pantry, Emergency Family Assistance program; referrals to local government and
not-for-profit assistance and legal aid.

Visitation Maternity House and the services that the program provides are very much in need in Volusia County. Outcome measurements utilizing the logic model are being developed. Such measurements will establish benchmarks of productivity and goal attainment vital for community support and fund raising. More importantly, a strong program utilizing the partnership of Catholic Charities and the faith-based community will provide the springboard to lift mothers and their children out of the cycle of poverty toward productivity, security and independence.

Visitation Maternity House Brochure (PDF)

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Shepherd’s House is a transitional housing facility for homeless single women and their Children (under the age of 8 years old) in East Orlando/Orange County, Florida. This duplex transitional housing program serves up to 32 women and 48 children (capacity is 16 single mothers and their children for 6 months).

Shepherd’s House has continuously served the East Orlando community in Orange County, Florida since its founding 13 years ago. The original program was established in 1996 by the Sisters of Good Shepherd. When the program closed in 2008, Catholic Charities purchased the properties with the intent to continue the program mission.

Shepherd’s House is to help women gain their self sufficiency and family stability. Shepherd’s House represents an alternative model of care delivery for up to 16 women and their children (under the age of 8 years old) for up to six months in a continuing, non-threatening, transitional care setting in an underserved area with limited resources.

Shepherd’s House: Providing Hope

Shepherd’s House: Building Opportunity

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My Sister’s House is a safe-house for homeless abused spouses and their children that is scheduled to open in 2010. Our program provides safe lodging and meals, and comprehensive case management including mental health counseling, family therapy and benefits (access to Medicaid, social security, etc.), community room for outreach and workshop activities, laundry room, food pantry for outreach services, life skills/job skills training, weekly access to health and legal aid services, transportation and daycare.

Transitional Housing Facility For Abused Women & Children

The 4,500-sq. ft. facility will serve as a multi-purpose, family-oriented facility, staffed by case workers offering onsite support to obtain education, social benefits, healthcare, child care and job skills training. Programs are provided to women and children in a family-centered, integrated approach. As part of our strength-based philosophy, individuals are encouraged to develop the skills and knowledge necessary to work towards positive solutions and develop goals that will provide a clear direction for their future. Part of self-sufficiency is ensuring that families are stabilized with the basic needs of safety, food, housing, clothing, transportation, and childcare. 

Community benefits and collaboration: CCCF’s Regional Director in Lakeland, in conjunction with CCCF’s Healthcare and Housing Directorate, will oversee paid staff and volunteers. The facility represents a model of care delivery for up to 20 beds for women and children at a time in a continuing, non-threatening, transitional care setting.

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Pathways to Care

Mission Statement

Provide vital social services to people in need, regardless of their religious, social or economic background, to improve lives of individuals, families and the community.

430 Plumosa Avenue
Casselberry, FL 32707-2814
Phone: (407)388-0245

Pathways to Care (PTC) is a 40-bed, not-for-profit respite center dedicated to providing health, housing and hope to Central Florida’s most vulnerable homeless, providing short-term recuperative care and support services for homeless adults in need of temporary housing in order to recover from an acute medical illness or injury.

PTC opened July 1, 2003 as a licensed assisted living facility with an overall goal to support their residents to achieve greater health, self-sufficiency and housing stability. Clients are urged to develop and complete a social recovery plan devised to solve the root causes of their illness, homelessness, and joblessness. As such, PTC goals are far-reaching on an individual as well as a community level. PTC has specific goals for the coming year:

These goals are accomplished through PTC’s caring and talented nursing, case management, and resident life staff as well as through a large network of volunteers. The staff is knowledgeable about the resources available in the region and connects PTC clients accordingly. Staff and volunteers work one-on-one with clients to teach them life skills and self-care, educate them about their illness or injury and provide spiritual and social support on an ongoing basis. On average, PTC has a 68% success rate of relocating individuals with family or other independent living options through PTC’s links to numerous social service and housing providers and its strong community support network.

Pathways to Care became a program of CCCF in January 2007. Collaborating with various community partners, including local Catholic and Protestant churches, regional homeless agencies and hospitals that serve Orlando, Seminole and Volusia Counties, PTC is able to fulfill their mission to care for a particularly vulnerable part of the homeless population, serving the greater community at large.

Click HERE for the Pathways To Care web site

Run For PTC HERE

PTC Newsletters Archive: (PDF)

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