Lutheran Services - Florida

We are proud to share that our Connecting Family Paths team (Prevention and Diversion services) is Safe Care accredited!What exactly does it mean to be Safe Care accredited. In short, it means our Safe Care certified case managers can provide extra support to families in need. This evidence-based program ensures case managers have the tools and knowledge to help educate parents in four key areas parent/child interaction, parent/toddler interaction, health and safety. By having this additional level of training, our case managers can work on parenting with families involved in the child welfare system. Ultimately, this leads to better outcomes.At LSF, our goal is to ensure children stay with their parents, while doing so in the healthiest, safest way possible. Knowing that parents have been given the tools and resources to better understand parenting and childcare helps us know we are offering our families as much assistance as possible.LSFs Connecting Family Paths became Safe Care accredited in 2022 and have maintained this accreditation since. Four of our case managers are currently certified. These team members have undergone a rigorous training curriculum that ensures they are able to teach the skills effectively.To learn more about Safe Care accreditation and read statistics about the difference Safe Care curriculum makes for families, visit https://bit.ly/44XV3fq

Lutheran Services Florida Sarasota Guardianship helps protect vulnerable adults in Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties from abuse, neglect and exploitation.Guardians are appointed by the courts to act on behalf of those who cannot handle their own affairs due to physical injuries, mental illness, developmental disabilities, Alzheimer's disease or other age-related dementia. A guardian may be appointed to act on behalf of an individuals person, property or both.When LSF is named guardian, a professional staff team immediately conducts on-site visits to assess the situation and secure client assets. Case Managers conduct an assessment and financial staffers begin to marshal and secure client assets. Team members generate a plan of care, considering the clients standard of living and lifestyle to ensure individuals reside in safe, clean, healthy environments with appropriate care and services. Staffers organize finances and LSF begins to pay clients bills, monitor insurance issues, apply for benefits, and manage income and assets.The duties for guardianship of the person and/or property can be managed by LSFs professional staff without the need for a guardian through a combination of services. Services are tailored to the individuals needs and can include: Case Management (coordinate and monitor care needs) Serving as Power of Attorney Representative Payee (manage Social Security benefits) Trustee Authority Representative for Estates Health Care Proxy Assistance in Applying for MedicaidWhen you, your loved one or client needs Guardianship or Case Management Services, LSF is your best choice. Here's why. Availability LSF has 14 local available to meet clients immediate needs Staff is on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Stability LSF has provided Guardianship Services since 1982, with over 1,300 clients served in Sarasota alone. Financial Expertise LSF is audited annually by an independent CPA Auditing firm. Centralized Accounting allows for increased audit controls for bill payment and finance management. Professional Expertise LSF staff includes accountants, social workers, Certified Master Guardians, and developmental service workers.For information, contact Anne Ridings at 941-358-6330 or aridings@lsfnet.org

Amanda and her daughter braced for yet another Florida storm, adding to the countless hurricanes Amanda had endured since moving to the Sunshine State from California nearly 20 years ago. But this one was different. Hurricane Helene was more than a stormit was a force of nature that tore across the Gulf, unleashing an unimaginable torrent of water upon the Southeastern U.S. When Helene turned everything upside down, Amandas family found themselves relying on the most unlikely of guides: mermaids that saved them from deadly waters.The storm announced herself around 6 p.m., and Amanda knew immediately that Helene was unlike anything shed experienced. Along with her daughter and their dog, Rocco, Amanda watched as water pooled on the patio. At first, it was just a nuisance, something to keep an eye on. But soon, water began to trickle through the doors, then surge like an invading tide, eventually creating a current within their apartment. Blankets floated across the living room within half an hour.Urgency surged through Amanda. They hurriedly moved valuables to higher ground, but by 10 p.m., things went from dire to unimaginable as water levels rose from ankle-deep to waist-deep. In that moment, Amanda heard a loud crackthe power was out. A chilling darkness engulfed them as Amanda grabbed her daughters medications and hurriedly secured life vests on both of them.Im not sure what was in the water, but it smelled rancid, like a mixture of red tide and raw sewage, Amanda recalled. Outside, the floodwaters had reached the height of their street signs, obscuring any familiar landmarks. Just when they thought hope was slipping away, something miraculous happened. In the dark, through the murky waters, a light appearedbioluminescence, a natural glow often occurring in marine life. The shimmering light illuminated Rocco, guiding them to the dog and shining a light on a path to safety.Amandas daughter, enthralled by the mysterious glow, called them mermaids, and for Amanda, they might as well have been. She pushed her daughter and Rocco through a window via the path the bioluminescence had highlighted, and together, the family swam through the flooded streets, joined by fish they couldnt see in the darkness of the night but could feel pushing against them while they swam.After hours of uncertainty and struggling to find a place to rest for the night, Amanda and her daughter found temporary refuge in a Publix parking lot alongside about 30 others displaced by Helene. They didnt exactly rest as you might imagine. The next morning around 6 am they returned to their apartment briefly to confirm that the worst was reality, nearly everything in their apartment was lost, and the stench of the flood water remained.With FEMAs support, they have since found a new apartment, but the memories linger. My old apartment complex keeps calling and saying theyd love us back, Amanda shared. But neither my daughter nor my dog will go near that place.Amandas LSF Pinellas CMO family has enveloped her in love and support, from offering shelter to providing clothing and daily encouragement. Its made me see my clients struggles in a different light, Amanda said. When youre left with nothing, it gives you a new compassion. Its about people, not things.When news broke that Hurricane Milton would be making landfall nearby in a similar area less than two weeks after Helene, Amanda had no hesitation evacuating. She and her daughter joined a coworker and her family in Orlando to wait out Milton further inland.Despite knowing they were safe where they were, Amanda admitted she found herself driving to a Publix near where they were staying in Orlando to find a moment to herself. Amanda sat in her car and cried. Storms like Helene leave an impact that is often unfathomable if you havent faced them yourself.As Amanda, her daughter, and Rocco begin to rebuild, many in the LSF community are still searching for a new sense of normal after Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Though the storms have passed, their impact lingers, echoing in the hearts of countless Floridians.Please consider supporting Florida residents in their journey to rebuild. The LSF Hurricane Relief Fund is urgently asking for your support to provide temporary and long-term housing for children and families forced to evacuate. Visit LSFs Hurricane Relief Fund to learn more about how you can help.

In Florida, human trafficking is a crisis hiding in plain sight. From bustling tourist hotspots to quiet rural communities, traffickers exploit many of the vulnerable communities we serve, like the impoverished, the homeless and immigrants.For many of us, the signs go unnoticeda worker at a restaurant or a young girl in a hotel lobby. Florida ranks among the top states for reported trafficking cases, but behind the numbers are real people with stories of resilience. At LSF we are stepping into the fight. Through awareness campaigns, survivor-centered services and prevention programs, LSF is creating pathways to hope and safety across the state.Traffickers prey on vulnerabilities, exploiting individuals through force, fraud or coercion for purposes such as forced labor, sexual exploitation, and domestic servitude. Recognizing the signs of trafficking can save lives, but how do you spot something so deeply hidden? Utilize our human trafficking roadmap to learn more about signs, at-risk populations and actions you can take.In order to best understand human trafficking, we can look at the most basic definition. The Oxford Dictionary defines human trafficking as the unlawful act of transporting or coercing people in order to benefit from their work or service, typically in the form of forced labor or sexual exploitation.To help you in your work of better understanding human trafficking, the ways to spot it and how to help, weve prepared a free printable roadmap to assist you in prevention.Human trafficking thrives in darkness, hidden by fear and ignorance. By learning to recognize the signs, you can become a lifeline for someone in need. Every call, every report, and every act of awareness brings us closer to ending this exploitation. Through our Trafficking Victim Assistance Program (TVAP), LSF offers comprehensive support to foreign-born trafficking victims in the Tampa Bay area. This includes case management and assistance for families. Our residential youth shelters also serve teen victims of human trafficking. For more information, contact our Tampa office at (813) 875-1408 or visit lsfnet.org.If you or someone you know needs immediate assistance, call the FDLE Hotline at 1-855-352-7233. Together, we can shine a light on trafficking and help restore freedom and dignity to survivors. Sources:National Human Trafficking HotlineWebsite: https://humantraffickinghotline.orgU.S. Department of Homeland Security\u2019s Blue CampaignWebsite: https://www.dhs.gov/blue-campaignU.S. Department of State: Identifying and Assisting a Trafficking VictimWebsite: https://www.state.gov/identify-and-assist-a-trafficking-victimUnited States Institute Against Human Trafficking (USIAHT)Website: https://www.usiaht.orgJamilyn NewtonLSF North West Regional Program Director

We are proud to share that our Connecting Family Paths team (Prevention and Diversion services) is Safe Care accredited!What exactly does it mean to be Safe Care accredited. In short, it means our Safe Care certified case managers can provide extra support to families in need. This evidence-based program ensures case managers have the tools and knowledge to help educate parents in four key areas parent/child interaction, parent/toddler interaction, health and safety. By having this additional level of training, our case managers can work on parenting with families involved in the child welfare system. Ultimately, this leads to better outcomes.At LSF, our goal is to ensure children stay with their parents, while doing so in the healthiest, safest way possible. Knowing that parents have been given the tools and resources to better understand parenting and childcare helps us know we are offering our families as much assistance as possible.LSFs Connecting Family Paths became Safe Care accredited in 2022 and have maintained this accreditation since. Four of our case managers are currently certified. These team members have undergone a rigorous training curriculum that ensures they are able to teach the skills effectively.To learn more about Safe Care accreditation and read statistics about the difference Safe Care curriculum makes for families, visit https://bit.ly/44XV3fq

Lutheran Services Florida Sarasota Guardianship helps protect vulnerable adults in Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties from abuse, neglect and exploitation.Guardians are appointed by the courts to act on behalf of those who cannot handle their own affairs due to physical injuries, mental illness, developmental disabilities, Alzheimer's disease or other age-related dementia. A guardian may be appointed to act on behalf of an individuals person, property or both.When LSF is named guardian, a professional staff team immediately conducts on-site visits to assess the situation and secure client assets. Case Managers conduct an assessment and financial staffers begin to marshal and secure client assets. Team members generate a plan of care, considering the clients standard of living and lifestyle to ensure individuals reside in safe, clean, healthy environments with appropriate care and services. Staffers organize finances and LSF begins to pay clients bills, monitor insurance issues, apply for benefits, and manage income and assets.The duties for guardianship of the person and/or property can be managed by LSFs professional staff without the need for a guardian through a combination of services. Services are tailored to the individuals needs and can include: Case Management (coordinate and monitor care needs) Serving as Power of Attorney Representative Payee (manage Social Security benefits) Trustee Authority Representative for Estates Health Care Proxy Assistance in Applying for MedicaidWhen you, your loved one or client needs Guardianship or Case Management Services, LSF is your best choice. Here's why. Availability LSF has 14 local available to meet clients immediate needs Staff is on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Stability LSF has provided Guardianship Services since 1982, with over 1,300 clients served in Sarasota alone. Financial Expertise LSF is audited annually by an independent CPA Auditing firm. Centralized Accounting allows for increased audit controls for bill payment and finance management. Professional Expertise LSF staff includes accountants, social workers, Certified Master Guardians, and developmental service workers.For information, contact Anne Ridings at 941-358-6330 or aridings@lsfnet.org