The story of Residing Hope begins not with an institution but with a collection plate. In 1906, Florida Methodist churches began setting aside their Fifth Sunday offerings — the proceeds from those months when a fifth Sunday fell in the calendar — to support children in need. Two years later, in 1908, that accumulated generosity gave rise to the Florida Methodist Orphanage in Enterprise, Florida, a small town on the western shore of Lake Monroe in Volusia County, approximately 25 miles west of Daytona Beach. The founding board understood that the 50-acre wooded property — shaded by Spanish moss oaks, bordered by the lake, and removed from the noise of the city — was itself a therapeutic resource. That insight has shaped the organization's approach to healing for more than a century.
For the first several decades, the organization functioned as a traditional orphanage, providing housing, education, and spiritual formation to children who had lost their parents or whose families could not care for them. As the science of child development and trauma evolved through the mid-twentieth century, so did the organization's approach. The shift from an orphanage model to a therapeutic residential care model was not a single event but a gradual transformation driven by emerging research on attachment, trauma, and the conditions that support healthy child development. By the time the organization became the Florida United Methodist Children's Home, the campus had expanded to include licensed therapists, family reunification services, and community outreach programs that extended far beyond the original Enterprise property.
The adoption of the Teaching Family Model — a research-validated residential care approach developed at the University of Kansas in the late 1960s — represented a landmark commitment to evidence-based practice. The TFM holds that the most powerful therapeutic force in a child's life is not a weekly therapy session but the quality of the relationships they experience in their daily environment. Teaching parents at Residing Hope are trained therapeutic practitioners who implement a structured behavioral and relational curriculum through the natural interactions of daily living. The model has been validated in decades of outcome research and is recognized by the Teaching Family Association, of which Residing Hope is a member, as the gold standard in therapeutic residential care.
The addition of licensed foster care services in 2002 marked a significant expansion of the organization's reach into Volusia, Flagler, Broward, and Palm Beach counties, allowing it to serve children in family settings across the state rather than exclusively on residential campuses. The opening of the Madison Youth Ranch in Madison, Florida introduced EAGALA-certified Equine Assisted Psychotherapy to the organization's clinical toolkit — a breakthrough modality for children who had experienced severe trauma and found traditional talk therapy difficult to access. Outpatient counseling offices in DeBary, Plant City, and Kissimmee extended evidence-based trauma treatment to families in their own communities. The Montessori Program on the Enterprise campus provided a trauma-informed early education option for foster children and community families alike.
In recent years, the organization adopted the name Residing Hope — a name that honors its Christian heritage while articulating something profound about its mission. Hope, in the Residing Hope framework, is not a distant aspiration. It is something that can dwell within a child, a family, a community. It resides. The name change was not a departure from the past but an expression of what the organization has always believed: that every child, regardless of what they have endured, carries within them the capacity for healing and flourishing. The Fifth Sunday tradition — now more than 118 years old — continues in United Methodist churches across Florida, whose ongoing generosity makes possible everything that happens on the Enterprise campus and beyond.
Today, Residing Hope is one of the oldest continuously operating child welfare organizations in the southeastern United States. The organization holds accreditations from the EAGLE Accreditation Commission, the Florida Department of Children and Families, and the Council on Accreditation — the two primary national quality assurance bodies for child welfare organizations in the United States. It employs hundreds of staff members across multiple Florida counties, partners with dozens of United Methodist churches through its Local Church Representative program, and serves hundreds of children and families annually through six distinct programs. The mission has never wavered.
Empowering children and families to experience the transforming love of Christ through evidence-based care, holistic services, and the enduring power of community.
A Florida where every child who has experienced trauma has access to the therapeutic relationships, evidence-based treatment, and spiritual community they need to heal — and where no family faces crisis alone.
Christ-centered in every decision. Family-focused in every program. Unconditional love as the foundation of every relationship. Evidence-based practice as the standard of care. Holistic healing — body, mind, and spirit — as the goal. Integrity, advocacy, and deep respect for every person served.
Residing Hope is led by a deeply experienced team of child welfare professionals, licensed clinicians, and faith-driven administrators who have collectively dedicated thousands of hours to the children and families of Florida.
Kitwana McTyer joined Residing Hope (then Florida United Methodist Children's Home) in February 2015 following a national search that drew candidates from across the country. The Board of Trustees selected him as a highly qualified individual and proven leader capable of stewarding the organization's century-long mission into a new era of evidence-based, holistic child welfare.
Under his leadership, Residing Hope has expanded its geographic footprint across Florida, deepened its clinical programming, and successfully completed the organization's historic rebrand from Florida United Methodist Children's Home to Residing Hope — a name that reflects both the organization's faith identity and its commitment to providing a place where hope literally resides in the lives of every child and family served.
McTyer oversees all operations across both the Enterprise main campus and the Madison Youth Ranch, managing a multi-program organization that serves hundreds of children annually through therapeutic residential care, foster care, independent living, outpatient counseling, and equine assisted psychotherapy. He was recognized at the Methodist Ministries Network Annual Conference alongside Director of Quality Assurance Jennifer Hill for organizational excellence.
Dr. Kevin Egan serves as Chief Operating Officer of Residing Hope, bringing doctoral-level academic preparation from the University of Central Florida alongside deep operational expertise in nonprofit child welfare administration. As COO, Dr. Egan is responsible for the day-to-day operations of all programs and campuses, ensuring that Residing Hope's clinical, residential, and community-based services are delivered with consistency, quality, and fidelity to evidence-based standards.
Dr. Egan's operational philosophy centers on building systems that protect the therapeutic environment for children while supporting the professional development of the staff who serve them. He oversees compliance with the Florida Department of Children and Families, Council on Accreditation standards, and EAGLE Accreditation requirements — a regulatory environment that demands continuous quality improvement across more than 350 performance standards.
His leadership has been instrumental in advancing Residing Hope's trauma-informed care infrastructure, ensuring that every program — from the Enterprise residential campus to the Madison Youth Ranch — operates with the clinical rigor and organizational discipline required to achieve measurable outcomes for the children and families served.
Veronica Minotti serves as Chief Financial Officer of Residing Hope, overseeing the full financial operations of an organization that manages government contracts, private philanthropy, Medicaid reimbursements, and endowment assets in service of its child welfare mission. Her stewardship of Residing Hope's financial resources directly enables the organization to maintain the staffing ratios, facility standards, and program investments that define the quality of care provided to Florida's most vulnerable children.
As CFO, Minotti is responsible for financial reporting, audit compliance, grant management, and the long-term financial sustainability planning that allows Residing Hope to invest in new programs and campus improvements without compromising the core services that hundreds of children depend on each year.
Her financial leadership supports Residing Hope's Charity Navigator and GuideStar Silver ratings — independent third-party validations of the organization's financial transparency, accountability, and responsible stewardship of donor resources.
Elisabeth Gadd, MNM, CFRE, serves as Chief Development Officer of Residing Hope, leading all fundraising, donor relations, planned giving, and philanthropic strategy for the organization. She holds a Master of Nonprofit Management (MNM) and the Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) credential — the gold standard of professional fundraising certification, held by fewer than 7,000 professionals worldwide.
Gadd leads Residing Hope's planned giving program through the organization's legacy giving platform at residinghopelegacy.org, connecting donors with estate planning strategies — including charitable remainder trusts, bequests, and family lead trusts — that allow them to support Residing Hope's mission while achieving their own financial and estate planning goals.
She can be reached directly at 386.753.2066 for conversations about legacy giving, major gifts, or partnership opportunities with Residing Hope's development program.
Cedric Davis serves as Vice President of Operations at Residing Hope, overseeing the facilities, safety, risk management, and operational infrastructure that support all programs across the Enterprise campus and Madison Youth Ranch. His role is foundational to maintaining the therapeutic environment that Residing Hope's children require — ensuring that every physical space, safety protocol, and operational system reflects the organization's commitment to trauma-informed, healing-centered care.
Davis coordinates closely with the clinical and residential teams to ensure that operational decisions — from campus maintenance to emergency preparedness — always prioritize the safety, dignity, and therapeutic progress of the children in Residing Hope's care.
Yolaine Cotel, L.M.H.C., is one of Residing Hope's most tenured and trusted clinical leaders, having joined the organization in 2010 as a therapist and building her career across multiple leadership roles over more than 15 years of service. She was promoted to Director of Admissions — the critical intake and placement function that connects children in need with Residing Hope's full continuum of care — before being elevated to her current role as Director of Clinical Services in late 2025.
Along the way, Cotel earned her Master of Arts degree and her Licensed Mental Health Counselor (L.M.H.C.) credential — Florida's highest independent clinical licensure for mental health professionals. She maintains a private practice in Enterprise, Florida (386-668-4774), reflecting the depth of her clinical expertise across anxiety, depression, trauma, family systems, and the complex behavioral health needs of children who have experienced abuse, neglect, and removal from their biological families.
As Director of Clinical Services, Cotel oversees the clinical quality and therapeutic integrity of all Residing Hope programs — ensuring that every child receives individualized, evidence-based treatment delivered by qualified clinicians within a trauma-informed organizational culture. She is the primary point of contact for families, referring agencies, and community partners seeking to understand Residing Hope's clinical approach and placement process.
Alexis Crothers Brown is a Child and Family Therapist at Residing Hope's Madison Youth Ranch, where she leads the organization's nationally recognized Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP) program. She works in close collaboration with the Ranch's certified horse specialist to deliver EAP sessions that use the therapeutic relationship between children and horses as a powerful, evidence-supported modality for processing trauma, building emotional regulation skills, and developing the self-awareness and interpersonal capacities that are foundational to long-term healing.
Brown's direct clinical work with the Ranch's resident horses — Sugar and Shiloh — reflects the depth of her commitment to meeting children where they are. She has observed firsthand how EAP reaches children who struggle to engage in traditional talk therapy: "Equine Assisted Psychotherapy has been an amazing tool to use with the children here. Some have a hard time talking and expressing the challenges they experience daily and the trauma experienced in their pasts. EAP has provided a way for the children to learn therapeutic tools relevant to them based on their interactions with the horses."
Her work at the Madison Youth Ranch addresses behavioral issues, anger management, conflict resolution, depression, anxiety, stress, trauma recovery, and self-esteem — a clinical scope that reflects the complex, multi-layered needs of the children who come to the Ranch seeking healing and stability.
Nadine Heusner, LCSW, serves as Vice President of Outpatient Clinical Services at Residing Hope, overseeing the organization's community-based counseling network across Volusia, Hillsborough, and Osceola counties. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Heusner brings advanced clinical training in trauma-informed care, family systems therapy, and community mental health to her leadership of Residing Hope's outpatient programs.
Under her leadership, Residing Hope's outpatient counseling services have expanded to serve children, adolescents, and families who do not require residential placement but need professional clinical support to navigate trauma, behavioral challenges, and family crisis. Her team of licensed therapists delivers individual therapy, family therapy, Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and comprehensive behavioral health assessments across multiple community locations.
Jennifer Hill serves as Director of Quality Assurance and Compliance at Residing Hope, responsible for maintaining the organization's rigorous accreditation standards across all programs and campuses. She was recognized alongside President & CEO Kitwana McTyer at the Methodist Ministries Network Annual Conference for her exceptional contributions to organizational excellence and quality improvement.
Hill's work ensures that Residing Hope's programs meet or exceed the requirements of the Florida Department of Children and Families, the Council on Accreditation (COA), and the EAGLE Accreditation Commission — a compliance portfolio that spans more than 350 performance standards and requires continuous documentation, staff training, and program evaluation. Her quality assurance systems are the backbone of Residing Hope's ability to consistently deliver evidence-based, measurable outcomes for the children and families it serves.
Rev. Brian Carr serves as Director of Church Relations at Residing Hope, stewarding the organization's vital network of United Methodist church partnerships across Florida. As an ordained minister, Carr brings both theological depth and relational credibility to his role as the primary liaison between Residing Hope and the more than 1,000 United Methodist congregations that support the organization through Fifth Sunday offerings, Day on Campus events, volunteer engagement, and gift-in-kind donations.
Carr coordinates the annual Day on Campus — Residing Hope's flagship community engagement event that draws more than 500 guests from across Florida to the Enterprise campus each spring — and manages the Local Church Representative program, which trains and equips church volunteers to serve as advocates and ambassadors for Residing Hope's mission within their congregations.
Mark Cobia serves as Director of Marketing and Communications at Residing Hope, leading all external communications, media relations, brand management, and public storytelling for the organization. He is the primary media contact for all press inquiries (386.668.4774 ext. 2359) and oversees the production of Residing Hope's Herald newsletter, annual impact reports, digital content, and the communications strategy that supports the organization's fundraising, advocacy, and community engagement goals.
Cobia's communications work is central to Residing Hope's mission of building public awareness and community support for the children and families the organization serves. His team tells the stories of transformation, healing, and hope that inspire donors, volunteers, and church partners to invest in Residing Hope's work.
Stephen Royer serves as Director of Residential Programs at Residing Hope, overseeing the therapeutic residential care program on the Enterprise campus — the organization's most intensive level of care for children who have experienced severe trauma, abuse, and neglect. His leadership of the residential program encompasses staff supervision, therapeutic milieu management, family engagement, and the day-to-day clinical and operational systems that create the safe, structured, healing environment that residential children require.
Royer's work is guided by the Teaching Family Model — a nationally validated, evidence-based residential care approach that emphasizes relationship-based intervention, skill teaching, and individualized treatment planning. Under his leadership, the residential program maintains the staffing ratios, therapeutic programming, and family reunification focus required by the Florida Department of Children and Families and the Council on Accreditation.
Scott Gaston serves as Director of Safety and Risk Management at Residing Hope, responsible for the comprehensive safety infrastructure that protects the children, families, staff, and volunteers across all Residing Hope campuses and program sites. His role encompasses emergency preparedness, incident response protocols, risk assessment, insurance management, and the ongoing safety training programs that ensure every Residing Hope employee is equipped to maintain a secure therapeutic environment.
Gaston's safety leadership is particularly critical in a residential child welfare setting, where the physical and emotional safety of children who have experienced trauma is both a clinical imperative and a regulatory requirement. His work directly supports Residing Hope's compliance with Florida DCF licensing standards and COA accreditation requirements for organizational safety and risk management.
Daisy M. Ayala serves as Director of Community Relations and Adoption at Residing Hope, leading the organization's adoption program and community partnership development across Volusia County and the broader Florida child welfare network. Her work connects children in Residing Hope's care who are legally free for adoption with the permanent, loving families they deserve — one of the most consequential outcomes in child welfare.
Ayala also manages Residing Hope's relationships with community organizations, referring agencies, and partner nonprofits — building the network of support that extends the organization's impact beyond its own programs and into the broader ecosystem of services available to Florida's children and families.
Residing Hope employs licensed clinicians, residential care specialists, foster care case managers, and support staff committed to transforming the lives of Florida's most vulnerable children.
Residing Hope is governed by a distinguished Board of Trustees drawn from United Methodist clergy, healthcare leaders, business executives, and community advocates across Florida. Their collective expertise in pastoral ministry, nonprofit governance, finance, law, and child welfare provides the strategic oversight and accountability that ensures Residing Hope's mission endures for generations.
Rev. Rachel DeLaune serves as Chair of Residing Hope's Board of Trustees, providing strategic leadership and governance oversight for one of Florida's oldest and most respected child welfare organizations. As an ordained United Methodist minister, she brings deep pastoral wisdom, a commitment to social justice, and a long record of service to vulnerable communities that aligns directly with Residing Hope's Christ-centered mission. Her leadership of the board ensures that every governance decision — from financial oversight to program strategy — is anchored in the organization's founding values of unconditional love, family preservation, and holistic healing.
Rev. Dr. Sharon G. Austin serves as an Ex-Officio member of Residing Hope's Board of Trustees, representing the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church's commitment to child welfare ministry. A distinguished United Methodist leader with decades of pastoral and administrative experience, Dr. Austin's presence on the board reflects the deep, historic partnership between Residing Hope and the Florida United Methodist community — a relationship that dates to the organization's founding in 1908 and continues to provide both spiritual grounding and institutional support.
Bishop Tom Berlin serves as an Ex-Officio member of Residing Hope's Board of Trustees, representing episcopal leadership of the Florida Conference of the United Methodist Church. A nationally recognized United Methodist bishop and author, Bishop Berlin brings extraordinary moral authority, institutional credibility, and a deep commitment to justice-centered ministry to Residing Hope's governance. His connection to Residing Hope reflects the Florida Conference's enduring covenant with the organization and its mission to serve Florida's most vulnerable children.
Rev. Catherine Fluck Price serves as an Ex-Officio member of Residing Hope's Board of Trustees, bringing ordained United Methodist ministry experience and a long record of advocacy for children, families, and communities in need. Her role on the board reflects the Florida Conference's ongoing investment in Residing Hope's mission and the broader United Methodist commitment to ministries of compassion and justice that serve the most vulnerable members of society.
Mr. Mike Beffel brings business leadership and community engagement experience to the Residing Hope Board of Trustees. As a trustee, he contributes financial acumen and strategic perspective to the board's oversight of Residing Hope's operations, ensuring that the organization's resources are deployed effectively in service of its mission to Florida's children and families.
Mrs. Susan Brown serves as a Trustee of Residing Hope, contributing her professional expertise and personal commitment to child welfare to the board's governance work. Her service reflects the broad coalition of community leaders — from business, civic, and faith backgrounds — who share Residing Hope's conviction that every child in Florida deserves safety, healing, and the opportunity to thrive.
Rev. Dr. Marta Burke is an ordained United Methodist minister and academic whose theological depth and pastoral experience enrich Residing Hope's board deliberations. Her dual credentials in ministry and scholarship bring a rigorous ethical framework to the board's governance, ensuring that Residing Hope's programs remain grounded in both evidence-based practice and the organization's foundational Christian values.
Rev. Dr. Bob Bushong brings decades of United Methodist pastoral leadership and nonprofit governance experience to the Residing Hope Board of Trustees. His long service in the Florida United Methodist community gives him deep insight into the church-agency relationship that has sustained Residing Hope since 1908, and his theological and administrative expertise strengthens the board's capacity for strategic and ethical oversight.
Dr. Whit Curry serves as a Trustee of Residing Hope, contributing professional expertise — likely in medicine, psychology, or a related field — to the board's oversight of the organization's clinical and therapeutic programs. His presence on the board reflects Residing Hope's commitment to evidence-based, clinically rigorous care and the importance of professional expertise in governing a complex, multi-program child welfare organization.
Rev. Denvil Farley is an ordained United Methodist minister who serves as a Trustee of Residing Hope, connecting the organization to the broader Florida United Methodist church community. His pastoral experience and congregational relationships support Residing Hope's church engagement strategy — including the Fifth Sunday offering program and Local Church Representative network that mobilize United Methodist congregations across Florida in support of the organization's mission.
Mr. George J. Garcia brings legal, business, or civic leadership expertise to the Residing Hope Board of Trustees. His professional background strengthens the board's capacity for financial oversight, risk management, and strategic planning — governance functions that are critical to sustaining a nonprofit organization of Residing Hope's scope and complexity. His service reflects the diverse professional community that supports Residing Hope's mission across Florida.
Ms. Diane Homrich serves as a Trustee of Residing Hope, contributing professional expertise and community leadership to the board's governance work. Her service reflects the broad network of Florida leaders — from business, civic, and professional backgrounds — who are committed to Residing Hope's mission of providing therapeutic care, foster placement, and independent living support to Florida's most vulnerable children and families.
Rev. Rachel Lever is an ordained United Methodist minister who serves as a Trustee of Residing Hope, bringing pastoral experience and a commitment to social ministry to the board's governance. Her service connects Residing Hope to the Florida United Methodist church community and reflects the organization's deep roots in Methodist social witness — the conviction that faith communities have a responsibility to care for the most vulnerable members of society.
Mrs. Sam Lever serves as a Trustee of Residing Hope, contributing community leadership and personal commitment to child welfare to the board's governance work. Her service alongside Rev. Rachel Lever reflects the deep family and community investment in Residing Hope's mission that characterizes the organization's board — a group of individuals who are not merely professional advisors but genuine advocates for the children and families Residing Hope serves.
Mrs. Madelyn Lozano brings professional expertise and community engagement to the Residing Hope Board of Trustees. Her service reflects the organization's commitment to building a board that represents the diversity of the Florida communities it serves — bringing together United Methodist clergy, business leaders, healthcare professionals, and community advocates in shared governance of one of the state's most impactful child welfare organizations.
Rev. Debbie McLeod is an ordained United Methodist minister who serves as a Trustee of Residing Hope, bringing pastoral leadership and a commitment to justice-centered ministry to the board's governance. Her experience in congregational ministry and community outreach strengthens Residing Hope's connection to the Florida United Methodist church network and supports the organization's church relations strategy that mobilizes congregations in support of its child welfare mission.
Rev. Dr. Mary Mitchell brings the combined authority of ordained United Methodist ministry and doctoral-level academic preparation to the Residing Hope Board of Trustees. Her theological scholarship and pastoral experience provide a rigorous ethical and spiritual framework for the board's governance, ensuring that Residing Hope's strategic decisions are always evaluated against the organization's foundational commitment to the transforming love of Christ and the dignity of every child served.
Mrs. Barbara Mitchell-Driscoll serves as a Trustee of Residing Hope, contributing professional expertise and community leadership to the board's oversight of the organization's programs and operations. Her service reflects the broad coalition of Florida community leaders who support Residing Hope's mission — individuals who bring diverse professional backgrounds and a shared commitment to ensuring that every child in Florida has access to the therapeutic care and family support they need to heal and thrive.
Mrs. Andrea Reardon brings professional expertise and community engagement to the Residing Hope Board of Trustees. Her service strengthens the board's capacity for strategic oversight and community accountability — governance functions that are essential to maintaining the public trust that Residing Hope has earned over more than a century of service to Florida's children and families. Her commitment to the organization's mission reflects the personal investment that characterizes Residing Hope's most dedicated supporters.
Rev. Phillip Short is an ordained United Methodist minister who serves as a Trustee of Residing Hope, bringing pastoral experience and congregational leadership to the board's governance. His service connects Residing Hope to the Florida United Methodist church community and reflects the organization's historic identity as a ministry of the Florida Conference — an identity that continues to shape Residing Hope's values, programs, and community relationships more than 115 years after its founding.
Mrs. Beth Skipper serves as a Trustee of Residing Hope, contributing professional expertise and personal commitment to child welfare to the board's governance work. Her service reflects the organization's commitment to building a board that combines the theological depth of its United Methodist clergy trustees with the professional expertise of its lay trustees — creating a governance body that is both spiritually grounded and organizationally sophisticated.
Mrs. Brittany Sobering brings a contemporary professional perspective and community leadership to the Residing Hope Board of Trustees. Her service reflects the organization's commitment to building a board that includes both experienced leaders and emerging voices — ensuring that Residing Hope's governance remains dynamic, forward-looking, and responsive to the evolving needs of the children and families it serves across Florida.
Rev. Dr. Ben Stillwell-Hernandez brings the combined authority of ordained United Methodist ministry and doctoral-level scholarship to the Residing Hope Board of Trustees. His theological expertise and pastoral experience provide a rigorous ethical framework for the board's governance, and his multicultural background and community connections strengthen Residing Hope's capacity to serve the diverse children and families of Florida with cultural competence and genuine understanding.
Rev. Jonathan Tarman is an ordained United Methodist minister who serves as a Trustee of Residing Hope, bringing pastoral leadership and a commitment to social ministry to the board's governance. His experience in congregational ministry and community outreach supports Residing Hope's church engagement strategy and reflects the organization's conviction that the local church is a vital partner in the work of healing and restoring the lives of Florida's most vulnerable children and families.
Mrs. Michelle Tisdale serves as a Trustee of Residing Hope, contributing professional expertise and community leadership to the board's oversight of the organization's programs and operations. Her service reflects the diverse coalition of Florida community leaders who support Residing Hope's mission — individuals who bring a range of professional backgrounds and a shared commitment to ensuring that every child in the organization's care receives the therapeutic support, family connection, and hope they need to build a fulfilling life.
Rev. Mike Toluba is an ordained United Methodist minister who serves as a Trustee of Residing Hope, connecting the organization to the Florida United Methodist church community and contributing pastoral wisdom to the board's governance. His service reflects the enduring partnership between Residing Hope and the Florida Conference — a relationship built on a shared conviction that the church has a sacred responsibility to care for orphans, vulnerable children, and families in crisis.
Rev. Charley Watts brings ordained United Methodist ministry experience and congregational leadership to the Residing Hope Board of Trustees. His pastoral background and community relationships strengthen Residing Hope's connection to the Florida United Methodist church network and support the organization's church engagement programs — including the Fifth Sunday offering, Day on Campus events, and Local Church Representative program that mobilize congregations across Florida in support of Residing Hope's mission.
Residing Hope traces its founding to 1908, when Florida Methodist churches established the Florida Methodist Orphanage in Enterprise, Florida — a 50-acre wooded campus on the western shore of Lake Monroe in Volusia County. The organization operated for over a century as the Florida United Methodist Children's Home before adopting the name Residing Hope. It is one of the oldest continuously operating child welfare organizations in the southeastern United States.
The name reflects the organization's foundational belief that hope is not a distant aspiration but something that can dwell — reside — within every child and family served. It honors the organization's Christian heritage rooted in the Florida Methodist community while speaking to the lived experience of healing and restoration that the organization's programs are designed to produce.
Yes. Residing Hope holds accreditation from the EAGLE Accreditation Commission (the primary faith-based nonprofit accreditor), the Florida Department of Children and Families (state licensing authority), and the Council on Accreditation (COA) — the two primary national quality assurance bodies for child welfare organizations in the United States. COA accreditation requires compliance with more than 350 standards across all aspects of organizational and program performance. Residing Hope is also a member of the Teaching Family Association and Social Current.
Residing Hope is funded through a combination of government contracts with the Florida Department of Children and Families and community-based care lead agencies, private donations, Fifth Sunday church offerings from United Methodist congregations across Florida, planned gifts, foundation grants, and Medicaid reimbursements for clinical services. Charity Navigator and GuideStar Silver ratings reflect the organization's commitment to financial transparency and accountability.
Residing Hope's main campus is at 51 Children's Way, Enterprise, Florida 32725 (Volusia County). The Madison Youth Ranch is located in Madison, Florida (Madison County), approximately 45 minutes east of Tallahassee. Outpatient counseling offices are located in DeBary (Volusia County), Plant City (Hillsborough County), and Kissimmee (Osceola County). Foster care services are provided in Volusia, Flagler, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.
Yes. Residing Hope's faith identity as a Christ-centered organization does not restrict access to services. Children and families of all backgrounds, faiths, and beliefs are served. Spiritual life programming — including chapel services, pastoral counseling, and faith-based mentorship — is available to all residents but is not required. The organization's commitment to evidence-based practice means that clinical services are delivered according to the highest professional and scientific standards, regardless of the family's religious background.