Weekly Insights: Homeless Children's Foundation

The Homeless Children’s Foundation (HCF) was founded in 2015 to address a critical need for support among homeless families in Indian River County. During school breaks, parents often face an impossible dilemma: leave their children in unsafe, unstable situations while they work or give up employment to care for them. This cycle of job loss and caregiving responsibilities makes it nearly impossible for parents to achieve the financial stability necessary to escape homelessness. For children, the lack of access to summer camps, holiday programs, and before and after school activities leads to a loss of critical academic and social skills. This gap disproportionately affects homeless children, often resulting in academic setbacks and lower test scores, further hindering their ability to catch up with their peers.

HCF provides a solution by coordinating and funding programs that allow parents to maintain employment while ensuring their children are in a safe, enriching environment. In doing so, HCF plays a vital role in supporting the healthy development of homeless children and helping families take steps toward long-term stability and self-sufficiency.

In 2024, HCF coordinated and funded summer camp for a record 282 children for 10 weeks. Approximately 50% of the children the organization serves lack reliable transportation. To ensure they could attend camp, HCF operated three vehicles, providing over 1,000 hours of transportation in 2024. At the end of summer, each child was offered placement in after-school programs, as well as holiday and spring break camps. These programs continue to provide academic and recreational opportunities in a safe environment, enabling parents to maintain or secure employment. In 2024, 80% of the families had at least one parent who was employed and 25 families successfully moved into permanent housing, making significant strides toward long-term stability.

Since their founding, HCF has grown from serving 40 children in their first year to approximately 500 children in 2024. This growth reflects the increasing number of homeless children in our community. According to the Florida Department of Education, 567 homeless students were identified by the School District of Indian River County (SDIRC) in the 2022-2023 school year. As they approach their 10th anniversary, HCF remains focused on expanding their reach and ensuring that every homeless child in Indian River County has access to the resources they need to thrive.

Weekly Insights works in conjunction with Indian River Indicators. Indian River Indicators was launched in June 2021 and originated after the completion of the 2019 Indian River Community Needs Assessment. It provides key data and information about our community that is updated annually and can be used to support and sustain proven programs. It can also be used by community leaders to develop policy, promote promising practices and inspire innovation that can lead to solutions to persistent community challenges.

To learn more visit www.ircommunityfoundation.org and click “Indian River Indicators” or contact a member of the Community Foundation’s team at 772.492.1407.