Hermanowski Family Foundation Initial Request Form

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Organization Name: Kristi House, Inc.
Legal Name (if Different):
Also Known As: Kristi House Orlowtiz-Lee Children\’s Advocacy Center
Mailing Address: 1265 NW 12 Avenue
City: Miami
State: FL
Postal Code: 33136
Main Phone: 305-547-6800
Main Fax: 305-547-6816
Organization Website: www.kristihouse.org
Employer ID Number: 65-0576650
Organization Tax Status: 501 c 3

Proposal Information

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Today’s Date: March 15, 2012
Requested Amount: $10,000

Project Title: Healing the Hurt of Child Sexual Abuse
Project Description:

Kristi House was organized in 1994 as a Task Force to fill the unmet critical need in Miami-Dade County for specialized and coordinated services for child victims of sexual abuse. As a result, Kristi House was founded and began providing case coordination services in 1996. By the end of the first year, six times the number of cases expected came in. Kristi House leaders took steps to built its CAC to provide a special environment for the collocation of agencies involved in handling the emotional, physical, and legal needs of sexually abused children. Kristi House opened the Orlowitz-Lee CAC at its main location in 1999. Three satellite offices in southern and northern ends of Miami-Dade County were opened in 2006 and 2007 to serve more therapy clients, and a Drop-in Center was opened in Spring 2009 for commercially sexually exploited children. Annually 800 cases are handled by Kristi House.
Therapy is a critical component in helping children overcome the trauma of child sexual abuse. Kristi House is the only agency in Miami-Dade County providing specialized mental health services regardless of families’ ability to pay. Because untreated child sexual abuse often manifests itself in health, sexual and social problems throughout life–and at a considerable cost to the greater community–it is vitally important that Kristi House provides sexually abused children with mental health services. Unfortunately, very limited public funding exists to help these young, vulnerable victims of crime. Kristi House is dedicated, nevertheless, to ensuring that all children receive the help they need by its highly trained and qualified therapists who use best practice, proven interventions to provide mental health services to child-victims and their families. We are dedicated to helping children break free of the silence, secrecy, and shame that should never define a child’s life.

Total Project Budget: 905,802

Other Funding
Sources For The Project (Committed & Potential): Public sources committed to therapy support currently include Florida Dept. of Children & Families ($62,500), Our Kids of Miami-Dade/Monroe ($77,000), U.S. Dept. of Justice ($50,000), City of Miami Gardens ($12,000). Medicaid reimbursement for those clients who qualify is historically based at $125,000 annually. Private sources committed and their annual amounts include The Miami Foundation ($33,000), Peacock Foundation ($80,000), Paul Palank Memorial Foundation ($47,000), Pearl Foundation ($15,000), National Children\’s Alliance ($50,000). Applications are pending before The Miami Foundation Denise Moon Fund and the Kennedy Family Foundation. Kristi House’s annual Touch a Heart Dinner nets between $300,000 and $350,000, of which a considerable portion is dedicated to therapy.

Project Duration: one year, although therapy work is ongoing
Geographical Area Served: Miami-Dade County
Age Group To Be Served: 2-18

Contact Information

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Contact Prefix (Mr,Mrs etc.): Ms.
Contact First Name: Trudy
Contact Last Name: Novicki
Contact Title: Executive Director
Contact Phone: 305-547-6836
Contact Email: tnovicki@kristihouse.org