Valeries House Inc.

The mission of Valerie's House is to help children and families work through the loss of a loved one together and go on to live fulfilling lives.

Our vision is that No Child Will Grieve Alone.

Goal One: Increase peer support groups running twice a month, including parent loss, Dad’s group, Trauma loss, sibling loss, grandparents loss

Goal Two: Expand Grief Support Counseling with Licensed Valerie’s House Therapists. Also increase the Mentoring Program- attaining 50+ Mentor/Mentee Relationships

Goal Three: Establish a debt free, permanent physical location for all Valerie’s Houses throughout SWFL that are easy to access, and are inviting places for families from all areas of our community.

Annually, the leadership and programs staff of the organization participate in national conferences to learn best practices of other grief counseling specialists, so they can be replicated, adapted and implemented for the benefit of the families we serve. Valerie's House also shares best practices for other mental health institutes and is a content leader in grief counseling.

Valerie’s House, the only non-profit in Southwest and Northwest Florida with its sole mission to help grieving children after they experience the death of a parent is experiencing tremendous changes and strain, in large part due to the impact of the Opioid epidemic that continues to plague our region. More than 25,000 children are grieving the death of parent across Charlotte, Sarasota, Lee, Hardee, DeSoto, Hendry, Glades, Escambia, and Collier counties because a parent has overdosed. These children are at extreme risk of being without a home, addicted themselves, incarcerated and are at risk for suicide. Resources across our community are slim for these children. They often come to Valerie’s House with severe trauma, witnessing the death of their parent or sibling, and needing support. Valerie’s House is a safe place for these children to heal and to stop the generational addiction that has infected their families. With a team of licensed therapists, and a unique , outcomes measured approach to helping children work through grief and trauma, children at Valerie’s House are given the opportunity to meet others like them, have personalized therapy and group support, and are given a team of caring professionals to help change the trajectory of their lives. Additionally, a growing number of Senior Citizens in Florida are now taking on the burden of caring for their grandchildren because their children have died from an overdose. An estimated 1 in 8 grandparents are raising their grandchild in Florida in some capacity related to the opioid epidemic. Additionally, Valerie’s House is in need of a home to accommodate the children in both Charlotte and Collier Counties. Funds are being raised to provide capital funds to purchase two sperate facilities in Florida, and to provide ongoing support and care for grieving children and their caregivers across the SW and NW Florida regions