Heart to Heart: a Community Care Home, Inc. is dedicated to the needs of homeless women and children overcoming difficult life issues, including many forms of abuse, and others recovering from alcohol and drug issues. Heart to Heart is providing safe housing, professional support, investing in the family’s future. By implementing life-changing solutions including education and jobs, women become self-sufficient able to live in the community financially independently with their children.A MOTEL ROOM IS NOT A HOME...the organization serves families with children living in a motel room, helping them with rapid-rehousing into an apartment. The poverty in Central Florida is evident when you see women with their children living in homeless shelters, living in cars, under bridges, in motels, standing in soup kitchen lines waiting for food or begging on the streets. Homeless families are headed by 84% women. We serve a population in which 92% have experienced severe losses, abuse and violence in their lives along with poverty. The typical woman is in her late twenties with two children and 43% of the children are under the age of six. We often work with DCF foster care and the court system as well as family members to reunite mothers with their children. Statistics:•100% of the families have H2H professional case manager•100% of the children are living in a safe, happy environment•100% of the families have food, transportation and health care•100% of the women are working •50% are in college or a certificate program: Rollins College, Valencia College, Seminole State CollegeHeart to Heart was part of a group of providers that were awarded by United Way of Florida a state wide recognition (United Way 4/11/2011) for community innovation making a difference in children and families lives in our community

Heart to Heart formally the Lisa Merlin House served Central Florida homeless women and children for 25 years. We have closed our doors. The properties and financial assets are being merged into a larger nonprofit organization serving homeless in the community.