Our Story

In 2002, a group of community leaders including members of St. Simon's-on-the-Sound Episcopal Church, Shalimar United Methodist Church, and the Department of Children and Family Services (DCF) identified a critical need for additional foster care facilities for abused and neglected children in the four-county area of Northwest Florida (Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, and Walton Counties).

In 2003, Children in Crisis, Inc., a non-profit 501 (c)(3) charity, was established to raise and manage the funds to build, staff, and operate The Children's Neighborhood, a residential style foster care neighborhood. From a small grass-roots group of individuals the organization has grown to over 100 members, including CPAs, architects, attorneys, educators, builders, employees of DCF, and volunteers from the Guardian Ad Litem program.

In 2007, Susanna Wesley Emergency Shelter and Blessings House Family Foster Home opened their doors and their hearts to our first set of children. Since then, we have served an average of over 100 children per year. We also have built Aunt Bill's Playground, the Charles D. Rigdon Pavilion, the Dugas Family Foundation Neighborhood Center, and The Kid's Clubhouse Recreation Center. In 2010, we opened Sue Sue's Cottage, a foster home, and Opportunity House, a transition home for teens aging out of the foster care system.

It is through the support of our great community that our dream, The Children's Neighborhood, is being made possible. Your hard work and contributions are making a difference in the life of a child. Thank you!