Where Every Child
Finds Hope.
For over 118 years, Residing Hope has walked alongside Florida's most vulnerable children and families — providing residential care, foster placement, counseling, and equine therapy rooted in the transforming love of Christ.
118 Years of
Radical Compassion
Healing Through the
Bond With Horses.
The Madison Youth Ranch offers something no clinical office can replicate: the honest, immediate, nonverbal response of a horse to a child's emotional state. Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) — delivered under the EAGALA model by a team of a licensed mental health professional and a certified equine specialist — uses the horse's behavioral responses as the primary material of therapeutic work. For children whose trauma has made language unavailable, the horse provides a mirror that bypasses cognitive defenses and makes the invisible visible.
Research published in peer-reviewed journals including the Journal of Trauma and Dissociation documents significant reductions in PTSD symptoms, depression, and behavioral problems in children who receive EAP. The Ranch's natural environment — pastures, Spanish moss oaks, gardens, and the rhythms of farm life — provides a healing context that reinforces the neurobiological work happening in the arena. Children referred from Residing Hope's residential programs, foster care placements, and the broader community are all served. Medicaid is accepted.
Rooted in Faith. Driven by Evidence.
Why We Exist
To empower children and families to experience the transforming love of Christ through evidence-based care, holistic services, and the consistent presence of adults who believe in their capacity to heal and flourish — regardless of what they have endured.
What We're Building
A Florida where no child ages out of foster care without a safety net, where no traumatized child goes without evidence-based treatment, where no family in crisis faces it alone — and where the love of God is made tangible through the actions of a community that refuses to look away.
How We Work
Christ-centered in identity. Evidence-based in practice. Unconditional in love. Holistic in approach — addressing the spiritual, psychological, relational, and practical dimensions of healing. Accountable to the children and families served, to the community that supports this work, and to the God who calls it into being.
"She arrived at the Independent Living Program at 18 with no work history, no stable address, and a childhood that had moved through eleven foster placements. Within fourteen months, she had secured stable housing, completed her GED, passed her driver's license exam, and accepted her first full-time position. She now returns to the Enterprise campus once a month to mentor current residents — not because anyone asked her to, but because she knows what it means to have someone believe in you when you cannot yet believe in yourself."
Questions We
Hear Most Often.
Whether you're considering foster care, seeking services for a child in crisis, or looking to support our mission, these answers cover the essentials. For anything not addressed here, our team is a phone call away.
Contact Our TeamWhat services does Residing Hope provide?+
Residing Hope provides therapeutic residential care, foster care, independent living support for youth ages 18–26, outpatient counseling, equine-assisted psychotherapy at Madison Youth Ranch, and a Montessori program — all across Florida.
How do I become a foster parent through Residing Hope?+
We provide all required training, spiritual support, and ongoing case management. Contact our Volusia/Flagler office at 386.738.3663 or our Broward/Palm Beach office at 954.514.7000 to begin the licensing process.
Is Residing Hope a faith-based organization?+
Yes. Residing Hope is Christ-centered with roots in the Florida Methodist community since 1908. A pastor is on staff at all campuses, and spiritual life programming is integrated into all residential and therapeutic services.
What is Equine Assisted Psychotherapy at Madison Youth Ranch?+
EAP combines horses, a licensed therapist, and a horse specialist to help children process trauma in a non-traditional setting. The horse's presence mirrors the child's emotional state, facilitating breakthroughs that often occur as quickly as the first session.
