Brownie’s Emergency Shelter
Brownie’s Emergency Shelter is Collier County’s only safe haven for young victims of abuse, neglect and/or abandonment needing immediate protection after being quickly removed from their homes for their own safety due to dangerous and/or neglectful crisis situations.
Children, both boys and girls infants through age 14, are placed in our temporary care by the State through the Children’s Network of Southwest Florida until a more permanent placement can be found. At capacity, Brownie’s Emergency Shelter can house 23 of our community’s youngest victims of abuse, 24-hours a day, seven days a week, without exception. The children stay in our care for an average of 50-60 days (but sometimes much longer) depending upon their age and circumstances. Upon leaving, the majority of our children are placed by the State with a safe relative or in a foster home.
During their stay at Youth Haven, children receive the utmost comprehensive care from the most basic of needs including nutritious meals, clothing, personal care items, and educational support to more advanced medical, mental health and dental care all in a spacious, home-like environment. Our secluded campus affords the children not only a newfound sense of comfort and security but also many opportunities to play and be carefree. They engage in many outdoor activities including a myriad of sports, bicycling, gardening, and nature exploration. The children attend public school (most often the school in which they were currently attending before being placed here) and participate in a wide variety of both on and off campus recreational, cultural and social activities.
Our around-the-clock staff are highly trained in helping these young children in crisis who have suffered incredibly. To assist the children in coping with the trauma they have endured and to help them in managing their behavior and emotions, individual and group psychological counseling and psychiatric evaluation and medication management is provided to all the children through our on-site Children & Family Counseling Center.
In addition to emergency shelter services, short-term respite care for children in the community is also provided in Brownie’s. This residential component is made available to parents, foster parents or relatives caring for a child who may need temporary time away and relief from the challenges and struggles they may be dealing with so as not to jeopardize the safety of their children.
