Naples, Fl (August 3, 2023). Youth Haven, Inc. is pleased to announce they’re recipients of a $400,000 grant from the Naples Children & Education Foundation, founders of the Naples Winter Wine Festival.
Funding from NCEF will benefit Youth Haven’s foster care and homeless teen programs by supporting its direct-line counselors, clinicians/staff, and Case Managers.
Youth Haven’s emergency shelters are Collier County’s only residential option for children and teens ages 10 -20. Its cottages provide a home, instill hope and create a safe place to help children in the foster care system begin to heal. Children are placed in temporary care by the State through different foster care agencies until a more permanent placement can be found. Youth Haven’s shelters house Southwest Florida’s youngest victims of abuse, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, without exception. The children stay for an average of 270 days, but sometimes much longer, depending upon their age and circumstances. Upon leaving, children are reunified with their parents, placed by the State with a safe relative, or placed with a foster home.
Youth Haven’s Homeless Teen Transitional Living Program is the only program in Collier County for youth experiencing homelessness and needing assistance in making a successful transition to self-sufficient and sustainable living. Youth Haven helps them heal from their severe trauma and build skills that promote healthy growth into adulthood. The program addresses the various developmental, educational, emotional, social, physical, and mental health needs of homeless youth and utilizes individual service plans. It offers life skills classes that promote independence and housing readiness. Its Transitional Living Cottage, Rob’s Group Home, provides comprehensive 24-hour care, with a more extended average stay for homeless unaccompanied youth ages 16 to 19. Rob’s Group Home offers homeless teens a safe and caring environment, a place to sleep, and access to intensive case management, educational support, nutritious meals, and medical and mental health services. The program focuses on high school graduation, job readiness, preparing for higher education, and strengthening community connections.
The Naples Children & Education Foundation, the founding organization of the Naples Winter Wine Festival, is improving the educational, emotional, and health outcomes of underprivileged and at-risk children. Through its annual grants and strategic initiatives, NCEF has impacted 60 of the most effective nonprofits in the community, providing over 300,000 children with the services and resources they need to excel. NCEF’s unique approach, which emphasizes collaboration between organizations and bridges public and private resources, has become a blueprint for how to transform a community, one issue at a time.
“Naples Children & Education Foundation’s grant will have a tremendous impact on the programs and services that Youth Haven offers to the children and teens that rely on Youth Haven,” said Linda Goldfield, Youth Haven CEO. “We’re extremely grateful for NCEF and the community’s support in raising these funds during the Naples Winter Wine Festival to support the underprivileged and at-risk children in the Naples community.”
For media inquiries, please contact Laura Lafakis, Youth Haven Interim Director of Development, at Laura.Lafakis@youthhavenswfl.org.
About Youth Haven, Inc.
Youth Haven, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit agency, is Collier County’s only emergency and residential emergency shelter for children and teens removed from their homes due to abuse, neglect, or abandonment. In continuous operation since 1972, Youth Haven’s therapeutic campus, located in Naples, Florida, houses 70 youth with a waking staff system that allows for around-the-clock specialized care. Youth Haven provides programs that create transformational change in its youth. Youth Haven is a COA nationally accredited organization, a member agency of the United Way of Collier and the Keys, and a Naples Children & Education Foundation grant recipient. It also holds a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator. Its mission is “To provide Home, Hope, and Healing to abused and neglected children and teens in Southwest Florida.” For more information, please visit youthhavenswfl.org or call 239-774-2904. Follow Youth Haven on social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.