Joshua House Children’s Program Property Purchased for $2.625M


Friends of Joshua House Foundation is eager to continue serving local children who have endured abuse or neglect.

Friends of Joshua House Foundation has successfully purchased the Joshua House property for $2.625M from Children’s Home Society of Florida (CHS). Friends of Joshua House Foundation will assure the longevity of the Joshua House program, providing life-enriching residential services that promote successful outcomes for traumatized children and teens in foster care.

CHS exited out of traditional group care with the closure of the Joshua House program on March 31, 2020. With the sale of the property, CHS will no longer be associated with Joshua House, and Friends of Joshua House Foundation will continue the Joshua House residential program.

“Friends of Joshua House Foundation is eager to continue serving local children who have endured abuse or neglect. These traumatized children need the structure and stability of a residential program that encourages healing and personal development,” says DeDe Grundel, Executive Director of Friends of Joshua House Foundation. “We are thankful to be part of a compassionate community that has demonstrated faith in our organization and believes in improving the quality of life for all vulnerable children.”

A much-loved program serving abused, abandoned, and neglected children since 1992, Joshua House was the dream of community leaders and founders, Bob Thomas, Olin Mott, Dottie Berger MacKinnon, Greg Johnson, Laurence Hall, Jim Zimmerman, and Albert de Alejos. Joshua House was created to provide a home for our Tampa Bay foster children. Located on 11 acres, with five homes set in a neighborhood type setting with a playground, learning center, and therapeutic clinic. With the overwhelming support of our community, our Joshua House Founders were able to create a vibrant, family like neighborhood of homes that has served the therapeutic and residential needs of vulnerable children for almost 30 years.

Friends of Joshua House Foundation (FOJH) was formed by the founders of Joshua House in 2004 in an effort to protect their investment. With continued support from our community, this non-profit organization has accepted the challenge of lifting Joshua House from an uncertain future and restoring these much-needed services to our community. Our mission to provide compassionate homes with therapeutic services and safe beds for vulnerable children will need an outpouring of love and support to achieve success.

About Friends of Joshua House Foundation

Friends of Joshua House Foundation Inc. is a 501(c) (3) organization of concerned individuals that have dedicated themselves to developing resources to improve the quality of life for the children of Joshua House. Friends of Joshua House Foundation raises resources, develops solutions and supports Hillsborough County’s most vulnerable citizens…its children.

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