HomeMy WebLinkAboutLetterOhope blossoms
the sundari foundation, inc.
February 12, 2010
Ms. Lillian Blondet
Department of Community Development
City of Miami
444 S.W. 2nd Avenue, 2nd Floor
Miami, Florida 33130
Re: Public Services and Community Development Funds
Dear Ms. Blondet:
peC8lfred r IG IW of MIVrol
Dept: Of COMMunity Developtn t
FEB 12 2016
C0NTRAC"1F',b
On behalf of the Sundad Foundation, Inc., thank you for your ongoing support through
the Emergency Shelter Grant and the Community Development Block Grant for the
Lotus House, serving homeless women and infants in the heart of Overtown. This
month, we will have exhausted the funds provided under our current contract to provide
meals to homeless women in the 2009-10 grant period. Each year we provide over
50,000 meals to women and children in need; the funds from the City this year provided
reimbursement for approximately 8,800 of those meals and we are deeply appreciative
of your assistance. This year, the demands are greater than ever but donations levels
are down because of difficult economic times. We are so hopeful that if you have
additional funds available, you will consider devoting some to our project.
As you may know, the Sundari Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity formed for
purposes of educating, supporting and advancing poor, disadvantaged and homeless
women and children. The first initiative of the Foundation was the establishment of the
Lotus House in March 2006 in the heart of Overtown to serve homeless women and
infants. Just a year later, we added a maternity wing specially designed to serve the
needs of women who are homeless and pregnant and their infants. Lotus House now
houses up to fifty women and sixteen infants at a time and serves approximately 150
women and children each year. Women and children are permitted to live free at the
Lotus House, with three meals a day, for up to a year and provided access to a full
continuum of support services and community resources to enable them to achieve
greater self sufficiency and transition to alternate independent or supported living
arrangements off the streets.
The Lotus House serves women who are homeless, whether due to abuse, medical or
mental health issues, disabilities, loss of employment, or other economic reasons. For
many, we are the shelter of last resort„ as the time spent in temporary shelters does not
afford them an opportunity to address untreated medical and mental illnesses, secure
work, and save enough funds to obtain alternate independent or supportive housing.
Few are working at the time of their admission into the shelter, though one of the
objectives of the Lotus House is to provide job training and placement in the community
to the extent a woman is capable of working. Many of the women here are elderly or
unable to work and seeking disability or supplement social security income to enable
them to transition to a permanent home.
445 Grand Boy Drive . PH 1 B . Key Biscayne . Florida . 33149 . t: 305-365-2478 . f: 305-365-3887 . lotushouseshelter.org
where hope blossoms
the sundari foundation, inc.
Each women accepted into the Lotus House participates in developing an individual
action plan for improving her quality of life, achieving greater self sufficiency, and
transitioning to alternate independent or supported housing. We provide individual and
group counseling, computer classes and job training and placement, access to medical
and mental health treatment, pre -natal and infant medical care, dental care and eye care
and needed prescriptions and follow-up assistance, and referrals to a wide range of
community resources to assist them in pursuing their action plans, as well as a host of
enrichment activities such as art, yoga, creative writing and craft workshops that offer
alternative pathways to healing and growth. Though the Foundation seeks to provide
the resources and support essential to achieving these goals, each woman's success is
her own and we are proud to support them in their goals. The Lotus House is about
empowering these special women to become whole again and truly who they were
meant to be.
Please contact me in the event you have any questions or would like additional
information. We are so appreciative of your consideration and thankful for the assistance
provided to the Lotus House. Thank you again!
Sincerely,
The Sundari Foundation, Inc.
At the Lotus House
4::ns:ta�nce Collins Margulies
President
president@ lotushouseshelter.org
445 Grand Bay Drive . PH 1 B . Key Biscayne . Florida . 33149 . t: 305365-2478 . f: 305-365-3887 . lotushousesheltecorg