A Vital Lifeline

Don’t look for the leaders of Children’s Harbor to laud their work. They’re too busy keeping siblings in foster care together, strengthening families and guiding at-risk teens toward independence. 

If you’ve never heard of this nationally accredited nonprofit in Pembroke Pines, you’re not alone. Tiffani Dhooge, president and CEO, notes that the organization hides in plain sight though its work ripples through Broward County, Palm Beach County and beyond.

“We are 24 years old, and we are the unsung song of South Florida,” she says. “We are one of the major Florida providers, but very few people know we are here.”

Children’s Harbor was built through a genuine grassroots effort when local businessman Bill Mahoney sought to keep at-risk siblings together in 1996. He recruited allies who helped establish the organization and continued to expand it throughout the years.

Its Residential Program, which grew out of the initial mission to strengthen families, continues to thrive. The family group home shelters 24 siblings and 12 pregnant or parenting teens. A separate effort provides in-home parental counseling to 200 Broward County families.

“Most of the first 10 years of our history was confined to the residential group care of siblings,” Dhooge says. “That is still the main vision and heartbeat of our agency. What many people don’t realize is that foster care has changed dramatically in the last decade alone.”

Mental health professionals, community members and law enforcement are among those who refer youth to Children’s Harbor. Typically, space requirements, a lack of volunteer foster families and scarce resources make it nearly impossible for professionals to house siblings together.

Some of the newer programs at Children’s Harbor include Grounded for Life, which matches high school students with mentors, and True North, in which educators teach young adults to forge healthy relationships and achieve economic stability.

“Once you walk through our doors and see our homes are lovely and the kids lead normal lives – they run track, play football, go to homecoming – you realize the power of these programs,” Dhooge says. “We are a community built on hope.” O

For more information, call 954-252-3072 or visit childrensharbor.org.