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A place to
November
Sallie House and Children’s Village:
St. Pete homes impact lives of foster children in transition
By Laura Poff
Southern Spirit staff
Twenty-five years ago, the Sallie House opened
its doors to the children of St. Petersburg, Florida,
who needed a temporary place to call home. It was
intended to fill a temporary need for additional
housing for the community’s foster children
but more than two decades later, it stands as a
permanent group home, housing 24 children at any
time with full-time supervisory staff who work in
shifts, so there’s always someone available, day and
night.
Randi-lyn Farrell, director of development at the
St. Petersburg Area Command, remembers the first
three children – siblings – to walk through its doors
just before Thanksgiving 1990. Farrell’s mother was
the original program director for the house and
worked there for 15 years.
Farrell worked at Sallie House while on summer
break from college and spends time with the kids
who live there now through her soldiership at the
St. Petersburg Corps.
“I’ve had a long connection with The Salvation
Army here in St. Petersburg,” she said. “The work
of The Salvation Army here is vast but children
hold a special place in my heart. I don’t think
that they have a voice of their own or one that
is heard, and The Salvation Army is uniquely
positioned both as a church and as a social service
organization to make an impact.”
The foster care services offered by the St.
Petersburg Area Command have been reaching out
to children since 1990.
In 2003, the Children’s Village was established
across the street as a more long-term housing
option for children, especially sibling groups, who
were unable to be placed in permanent families.
The village contains four houses and an
administrative office, lined up in a cul-de-sac. Each
house is h