As published in Sarasota Scene 10/10/25:
A recent major gift has bolstered Safe Children Coalition’s Youth Shelter Campaign, a fundraising effort that is supporting the construction of a new Youth Shelter for homeless and other vulnerable children in Florida’s Judicial Circuit 12 (Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties). A donation of $100,000 has been provided by the Claudia Barnett Charitable Fund of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County to Safe Children Coalition (SCC).
The Youth Shelter Campaign is on the precipice of its Phase I goal of $9 million, which will fund the construction of the new facility. The gift has helped to ‘close the gap’ as the coalition marches toward completing Phase 1 of the campaign and initiates its second phase.
“My hope is that this capping gift to close out Phase 1 will inspire others to support the next phase, which will help make the shelter a home,” said Claudia Barnett.
Phase II involves outfitting the backyard to make it suitable for teens and furnishing the shelter with beds and all of the furniture and supplies needed to make it a safe and comfortable place for its temporary young residents. The estimated cost for Phase II is up to $1 million.
For the past four years, the SCC Youth Shelter has been first or second in facility utilization out of the 16 shelters in the Florida network, exceeding contracted bed days. The new Youth Shelter will enable the organization to serve and protect more at-risk youths in the coming years.
“We are immensely grateful to the foundations, businesses and individuals who believe in our vision for a new Youth Shelter and have entrusted us to carry out this important project,” said SCC President and CEO Brena Slater. “Thanks to the support of donors such as the Claudia Barnett Charitable Fund we are thrilled to find ourselves near the finish line of Phase I of our Youth Shelter Campaign.”
SCC’s new Youth Shelter will be located on Sawyer Road in north Sarasota; the exterior construction is well underway.
For more information or to contribute to SCC’s Youth Shelter Campaign, visit sccyouthshelter.org or contact Jacqueline House at jhouse@sccfl.org or 941-371-4799, ext. 1127.
