The Florida Senate

Senator Ileana Garcia (R-Miami) and State Representative Nicholas X. Duran (D-Miami) toured Casa Valentina’s Coconut Grove facilities yesterday to meet with program staff and participants. Casa Valentina provides housing, educational services and resources to help children transition out of the foster care system and build a solid foundation for a successful future.

“Casa Valentina’s work is so important in making sure that at-risk youth are provided every opportunity that others are afforded so that they will not fall through the cracks. As a single mom, I understand the importance of preparing our children so that they can build themselves a stable foundation of economic self-sufficiency and have a proactive mentality for success,” said Senator Garcia. “Our foster youth need to be able to successfully transition out of the system and into society. If we want to build a better Florida that benefits all, we have to ensure the future generation does not spend the rest of their adult lives recovering from their childhood.”

During the 2021 Legislative Session, Senator Garcia and State Representative Nicholas X. Duran secured $175,000 to help Casa Valentina provide much-needed external support services to South Florida’s foster care youth community. The funding will provide approximately 400 children access to group meetings and life coach sessions to enhance economic self-sufficiency and equip participants with the skills they need to grow into successful young adults.

“I am proud to continue to secure funding for and help promote an organization that protects and provides shelter for at-risk children and former foster care youth,” said Representative Duran. “This program is so vital in nurturing and developing stability for transitioning young people as they move from a bad situation to better opportunities.”

Casa Valentina was established in 2006 by a group of concerned women who sought to address the hardships that young people face when transitioning out of the foster care system. Their mission is to provide at-risk and former foster care youth with safe and affordable housing, life skills, and continued support so that they can achieve and maintain self-sufficiency and lead successful lives.

For more information, please visit www.FLSenate.gov.