The Children’s Home Network began as the Children’s Home of Tampa in 1893. The nonprofit is headquartered in Tampa. It serves nearly 7,000 children and adults each year. The Children’s Home Network provides compassionate and effective integrated child welfare, behavioral health, early childhood intervention and social service programs.
Recently, major improvements were made at the Children’s Home Network main campus in Tampa. The renovations were funded with $1.6 million in the form of a Community Block Grant from Hillsborough County through a Community Development Block Grant.
The completion of the three projects will help improve the lives of foster children.
The projects are centered around Kids Village, the Children’s Home Network’s residential healing program for children ages 6-17. The program, located on the main campus of the Children’s Home Network, provides a place for more than 60 children to recover from abuse and neglect.
Thanks to the funding from the Community Block Grant, the Children’s Home Network was able to build a new Donation Center and maintenance building at the Kids Village campus and upgrade the security system.
The Children’s Home Network’s Donation Center enables foster youth living at the on-campus Kids Village to regain a sense of normalcy, independence and self-confidence. From clothes and shoes to self-care and hygiene items, school supplies and room decor, the Donation Center helps youth in foster care feel more at home and comfortable with themselves during a time of major upheaval.
The Donation Center is arranged to look like a store, and children can shop for their own styles, sizes and preferences. The shopping experience strives to spark joy and restore a sense of dignity, allowing children to pick out their own belongings to make their living environment a warm, cozy and personal space. The center is staffed and open to all children on campus who are welcome to take whatever they need, whenever they need it.
The funding also provided for new security door readers. The children are particularly vulnerable, and many come from homes with a history of abuse and trafficking. These necessary upgrades to the campus’ safety system provide an extra layer of security for children and staff.
The maintenance building is the headquarters for all repair and storage work on the sprawling campus that includes more than 50 air conditioning units, 15 washers and dryers and a dozen vehicles.
For more information, please visit www.childrenshomenetwork.org.
