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Youth shelter built to serve homeless and runaways
What started as a vision is rapidly becoming a reality on Sawyer Road. Safe Children Coalition has officially surpassed its $9.5 million fundraising goal, for a state-of-the-art facility designed to help Sarasota’s most vulnerable youth. FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon reports.
SARASOTA, Fla. - What started as a vision is rapidly becoming a reality on Sawyer Road. Safe Children Coalition has officially surpassed its $9.5 million fundraising goal, for a state-of-the-art facility designed to help Sarasota’s most vulnerable youth.
The project, which has been a staple of community support for the last two years, represents the only shelter in the region dedicated to serving homeless and runaway children ages 10 to 17.
By the numbers:
In Sarasota County alone, officials report approximately 400 homeless teens.
"Being homeless is the reality for a lot of teens," Jacqueline House, vice president of communications and community engagement for the Safe Children Coalition. "We don’t see them, but they are there."
The new construction of the Safe Children Coalition Youth Shelter off Sawyer Road is designed to help the area's youth. The layout includes single and double rooms, expanded spaces for one-on-one and group counseling, and a commercial laundry and kitchen area.
"One of the premises we had for the space was making it feel not punitive, but another chance," House said. "It’s not a punishment for them to be here, but an opportunity for them to learn new skills, get back to life and be successful."
Dig deeper:
For many of these teens, the shelter is the only thing standing between them and the streets. The facility aims to serve up to 200 kids per year, with a standard goal of 30-day stays to stabilize their lives and education.
"We are projecting to be able to serve more kids than we have been able in our temporary facility. Right now, we are capped at 11 kids," House said. "This facility will have space to serve up to 20 kids, ages 10-17 at a time. And we serve up to 200 kids per year in this facility. Thirty days at a time is our goal."
The facility includes a study area with tutors available to the youth.
"A lot of them are not up to grade level," House said. "They need extra help to get back on par for school."
A new commercial kitchen will not only serve those staying here, but help provide valuable life lessons.
"It’s bigger, it has more space, it’ll help us to invite the kids in and cook so they’ll learn some life skills while they are here," House said.
Big picture view:
The walls going up are intended to stand as a community resource for generations.
"This facility is not just for children that we help now," House said. "It’s for 30, 40, 50 years into the future — helping teens thrive and to dream about the lives they can create for themselves."
What's next:
The opening of the new youth shelter is anticipated for the fall of 2026.
The Source: Information was gathered by FOX 13's Kimberly Kuizon through interviews with the Safe Children's Coalition.