WICS visits Lotus House

Date: February 16th, 2007
Time: 9:25 am
Where: (Met at) ECS 280
Address: 217 N.W. 15 TH Street, Overtown, Miami, Florida 33136

WICS visited Lotus House and made donations. We would like to thank all who supported us by either donating their time or items such as clothes, cds, etc.

About Lotus House:

The Lotus House, operated by The Sundari Foundation, Inc., provides transitional housing for homeless woman in a respectful, non-stigmatizing environment to empower them to become whole again. The facility is newly renovated apartment building which can house up to thirty women at a time. Guests 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 to enable them to improve their quality of life on every level achieve greater self sufficiency, and transition to alternate independent or supported living arrangements off the street. A quiet enclave situated in the heart of Overtown, the Lotus House offers a sanctuary from life on the streets – a place where the mind, body and spirit of women in need are supported and nurtured.

The Foundation seeks to provide each woman at the Lotus House with the resources she needs to make the positive changes she desires for her life as she works toward greater self sufficiency and alternate independent or supported housing. Support services may include counseling, medical assistance, social services support and referral, legal aid, computer classes, job training, and varied enrichment activities (art, film, music, yoga, and recreational outgoings). Equally important, the guests of the Lotus House learn basic skills for independent living by participating in and contributing to all aspects of the day to day operation of the house, including preparation of meals, laundry, cleaning and maintenance of the living spaces and common areas of the facility. As guests learn to properly and lovingly car for themselves, they also learn to provide for the care and well being of other guests of the Lotus House, as well as those in need in their community through various outreach initiatives of the Foundation.

The admission process consists of an application and review process that includes the preparation of a needs assessment and action plan outlining the goals for each guest and supportive services an referrals to be provided and/or coordinated through the Lotus House. Each women accepted into the Lotus House participates in developing her plan for improving her quality of life, achieving greater self sufficiency and transitioning to alternate independent or supported housing. Though the Foundation seeks to provide the resources and support essential to achieving these goals, each woman’s success is her own! The Lotus House is about empowering these special women to become whole again and truly who they were meant to be.