A major expansion is in the works for the Florida Baptist Children’s Home/One More Child campus at 1015 Sikes Blvd. on Lake Hunter.
The Lakeland-based nonprofit organization plans to build 28 semi-detached cottages for single mothers, two large homes for foster families, a 21,375-square-foot meeting/event space, a warehouse, a climate-controlled storage facility and an 8,250-square-foot Family Resource Center.
It also plans to tear down four older dormitories, build a new recreation center and pool, and a new chapel.
The proposal was presented at last week’s City Commission meeting as the organization asked for a zoning change that would allow the additions and more than double the buildings on its campus.
Agency has evolved during 75 years in Lakeland
The Florida Baptist Children’s Home changed its name to One More Child in recent years and serves more than 60,000 children and families throughout the state annually.
Director of Communications Joe McLeod said, locally, One More Child went from serving 3,351 children and families in 2007, to more than 232,000 worldwide in 2023 — including helping foster children, hungry children, struggling families, single mothers, survivors of child sex trafficking and expanding its mission to global efforts, including Guatemala and Haiti.
Locally and globally, One More Child provided more than 14 million meals in 2022 and 19 million meals in 2023, McLeod said.
“Our mission to provide Christ-centered services to vulnerable children and struggling families has not changed,” said McLeod. “But we adapted to effectively reach more people in need.”
The organization was founded 121 years ago, in November 1902. It established the Florida Baptist Orphanage in Arcadia and welcomed its first 23 children in 1904.
In 1921, the orphanage changed its name to the Florida Baptist Children’s Home. During the Great Depression, it expanded its outreach to struggling single mothers.
The Florida Baptist Children’s Home purchased 30.4 acres of land on the west shore of Lake Hunter in 1945 and moved its state operations to Lakeland in 1948.
The organization began adding other facilities around the state in 1958. In addition to its Lakeland headquarters, it now has residential campuses in Miami, Fort Myers, Jacksonville, Tallahassee and Pensacola.
One More Child is recognized as a national leader in child wellbeing and trauma-informed care and remains true to those roots, “but has evolved to also deliver early childhood programs and in-home training to parents that stabilize and strengthen families, supply food to families in need, and work with foster families,” its website states.
A three-phase expansion plan
The change in zoning plan calls for demolition and construction take place in three phases beginning this year and running through 2030.
Phase I
- Demolish four existing dormitory buildings.
- Construct 21,375 square-foot Grounds for Grace Center for events and speakers.
- Build eight cottages for single mothers.
- Create a new 109-space parking lot.
Phase II
- Construct a 3,750 square-foot warehouse
- Construct a 5,000 square-foot climate-controlled storage
- Construct 8,250 square-foot Family Resource Center (offices)
- Construct two homes for foster families
Phase III
- Construct a 7,800 square-foot intern building (with four apartments)
- Construct 20 more cottages for single mothers
City commissioners wanted to ensure adding more single mother homes and two group foster homes wouldn’t strain transportation, school or utility infrastructure availabilities.
“Obviously they’ve … got a lot of land, right? You go through the acreage, they’ve got plenty,” Commissioner Mike Musick said. “But when you look at some of these things that have just grown over time, and they need more space, they need more things … you’re still impacted because now maybe it’s a bigger building but it’s also three stories tall.”
Chuck Barmby, the city’s planning and transportation manager, said the change in the planned unit development will not have a significant impact on the area, nor will it stress public transportation or schools. But, he added, as each phase plan comes in for approval, they will have to make sure water, wastewater and utilities are not adversely affected.
“In a case like this, it’s really geared towards the applicant’s needs,” Barmby said. “You’ve got some very unique, unique uses that really are serving a larger community demand. And so, you know, we’re responding to their requests because of what they’re seeing in their needs for their client base and their and our residents … They have existing infrastructure and existing buildings on site. It’s really the incremental between what they have now and what they’re requesting, and understanding that because it’s a masterplan campus that, you know, there is a kind of a longer implementation time and laying the groundwork.”
An urgent need for foster homes
The need for foster parents and to help single mothers is great.
Tracy Grey, Chief Community Relations Officer for Heartland for Children, which oversees foster care in Polk, Highlands and Hardee counties, said Heartland for Children has:
- 1,966 children and young adults (extended foster care) in the child welfare system, a majority of whom are placed with relatives and non-relatives.
- 185 foster homes.
- 327 of the 1,966 children are placed with licensed foster parents.
- Approximately 100 out of those 1,966 are placed in group homes.
“Foster care is a temporary foster home for children who have been abused, neglected, abandoned or have special needs. Foster parents provide a temporary loving, safe, and secure home-like setting for children while their parents are working towards reunification,” their website states.
“Our goal is to recruit 70 more foster parents to meet the needs of children — especially sibling groups, teens and children with special needs,” Grey said. “Our annual adoption goal is to have 155 children adopted this fiscal year. We anticipate meeting this goal and encourage people to visit our website.”
“Our goal is to recruit 70 more foster parents to meet the needs of children — especially sibling groups, teens and children with special needs.”
Tracy Grey, Chief Community Relations Officer for Heartland for Children
McLeod, who is the brother of City Commissioner Chad McLeod, said the federal Family First Prevention Service Act, signed into law in 2018, has changed the adoption/fostercare landscape — including at One More Child.
“This puts a greater emphasis on providing support to struggling families with the goal of preventing children from entering the child welfare system,” McLeod said. “When children need to enter foster care due to abuse, neglect or other unfortunate circumstances, the preferred model in most cases is a home with a licensed foster family rather than the large group-style homes. There is still a critical need for residential programs, especially when it comes to single mothers and their children on the brink of poverty.”
McLeod said last year, they served 24 single mothers and 51 children.
“When the expansion project is completed, we will be able to house approximately 56 single moms and 118 children on our campus each year,” McLeod said. “It will also increase our capacity to serve more families through our other initiatives that take place off campus.”
In addition, each of the two planned foster homes will house a foster couple and up to 6 children.
McLeod said no children or single moms will be left homeless during construction.
“The children and families we serve are our highest priority,” McLeod said. “Our construction plans are designed to be completed in phases to ensure those single moms and their children currently living on campus will not be displaced.”
Commissioner Chad McLeod and his wife have fostered three children and remain licensed to do so. When asked if he would recuse himself from the vote on changing the zoning, he checked with City Attorney Palmer Davis.
“I do plan to recuse myself from the vote just to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest,” Commissioner McLeod said. Joe McLeod said it’s unclear how much the plan is going to cost. They are beginning a capital campaign to raise funds.
Interested in becoming a foster parent?
Heartland for Children is hosting its next “Foster Care Information Night” on Tuesday, Feb. 6.
When: Tuesday, Feb. 6 at 6:30 p.m.
Where: 1239 E. Main St., Bartow, FL 33830 (2nd Floor)
To register: Call (863) 519-8900, ext. 289 or fill out the form at https://heartlandforchildren.org/become.
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