{"id":444764,"date":"2026-11-02T03:24:33","date_gmt":"2026-11-02T03:24:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/444764\/"},"modified":"2026-11-02T03:24:33","modified_gmt":"2026-11-02T03:24:33","slug":"2026-orlando-giving-guide-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/444764\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 Orlando Giving Guide: Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Harbor House of Central Florida<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">Year Created\/Founded: 1976<br \/>Mission: Prevent and eliminate domestic abuse in Central Florida through services for survivors, improved practices and community education.<br \/>Who it helps: Survivors of domestic abuse in Orange County, including children and pets.<br \/>Website: <a href=\"http:\/\/harborhousefl.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">harborhousefl.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/pexels-helenalopes-27175703.jpg\" data-lb-width=\"800\" data-lb-height=\"533\" class=\" photoswipe gtxlightbox\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-326771 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/11\/pexels-helenalopes-27175703.jpg\" alt=\"Pexels Helenalopes 27175703\" width=\"800\" height=\"533\"  \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-caption-text\">Harbor House works to prevent and eliminate domestic abuse in Central Florida by providing critical life-saving services to survivors, implementing and advancing best practices, and educating and engaging the community in a united front.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">In 1976, Harbor House was a single home where someone experiencing domestic violence could knock on the door and find safety. Fifty years later, it is Orange County\u2019s only state-certified domestic violence organization. Its work begins with immediate protection, but a survivor may also need legal help, counseling, housing or a plan for keeping children safe.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">In the past year, Harbor House assisted 6,819 survivors through nonresidential services, including courthouse advocacy and legal assistance, and answered 8,454 hotline calls. Its emergency shelter housed 969 survivors, 463 of them children, for 39,483 nights. The Paws for Peace Kennel sheltered 64 pets. That last number matters: Leaving a pet behind can be one more barrier for someone trying to escape abuse.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">\u201cFifty years later, Harbor House continues to look for new ways to remove barriers and make it easier for survivors and their families to find safety and move forward.\u201d\u2014Michelle Sperzel, Ceo Harbor House<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Harbor House is also building options for what happens after a shelter stay. Phase I of Our Grove, a housing community designed for survivors and their families, will include nine pet-friendly homes. Orlando committed $4 million in HOME-ARP funding, AdventHealth gave $1 million, and community supporters contributed another $500,000. With partners across Orange County, Harbor House is developing a Family Justice Center intended to bring several services together in one place. The center is still taking shape.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">These projects recognize that a safe night is the beginning of a much longer process. Stable housing and easier access to help can give families room to make decisions about work, school and their future.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">How to help: Donate to support shelter and advocacy, volunteer, contribute needed items or learn how to connect someone with help. Survivors can call or text Harbor House\u2019s confidential 24-hour hotline at 407-886-2856.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Harbor House of Central Florida Year Created\/Founded: 1976Mission: Prevent and eliminate domestic abuse in Central Florida through services&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":444765,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[139,141,140],"class_list":["post-444764","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444764","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=444764"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444764\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/444765"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=444764"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=444764"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=444764"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}