The Second Heart Program is a supportive housing program that revives dignity by providing robust services tailored to the needs of our clients.

We have 14 homes across Sarasota and Manatee counties that serve 86 individuals. We serve single adults experiencing homelessness who want to change their circumstances and become independent but need a little help. Our clients must have a commitment to addressing and managing their mental health and working towards short and long-term goals. Our residents must also be able to take care of their activities of daily living related to dressing, bathing, preparing food, and taking their medications.

You need a house to feel safe, sleep, prepare your food, store your belongings like clothes and hygiene products, take a shower, and develop healthy rituals like taking medication, managing your time, and achieving your goals. We teach our residents how to care for a home by maintaining it through chores and reporting any repair needs. For many, this is the first time they have had these obligations in many years.

Taking someone and sticking them in a house without support is a recipe for failure. The truth is that we all need care and accountability. Our team visits our homes to work one-on-one with our residents to understand their issues, identify goals, develop plans, and achieve success. There is a triage of support they receive that helps with the mind, body, and soul. When someone joins our program, we work with them to get necessary documents like birth certificates, identification, a primary care physician, therapy, and employment if possible. We also work with them to create a budget, learn computer skills, implement time management practices, stay sober, and employ ways to communicate needs appropriately. Our program services help build our residents up and out of homelessness and into a life of recovery.

The special ingredient is love. Love is not just the physical needs and social services; it’s the psychosocial elements that make a house a home. Once the basics are taken care of, a community is built. A community of respect, camaraderie, and understanding. Our residents have been through similar struggles, and we set up the environment for them to have similar successes.