Paula White Ministries supports The Spring of Tampa Bay, as it helps restore peace to families suffering from Domestic Violence.

The Spring of Tampa Bay

Paula White Ministries proudly supports The Spring of Tampa Bay, the largest of Florida's 41 certified domestic violence shelters, as it strives to heal families of domestic violence through its mission “to prevent, protect, and change.”

Since 1977 The Spring of Tampa Bay has provided sanctuary and services to more than 30,000 abused adults and children. A United Way agency, with a vision to be a premier provider of domestic violence services and a positive force for social change, The Spring was created with the realization that, in order to successfully eliminate domestic violence, a prevention organization must provide services for every member of the family.

Since two of every three beds in the emergency shelter are occupied by children, The Spring opened the nation's first public school located in a domestic violence shelter. Other services include a NAEYC accredited childcare center and 24-hour Crisis Hotline, transitional housing, legal services, counseling and case management, community education and professional training, legal services, and victim outreach and juvenile intervention programs. It also offers a juvenile offender program for youth 10 - 17 called "Peace in Action."

The Spring currently has six service sites: the emergency shelter with an on-site school and child care center, a transitional housing apartment complex, three Outreach centers (North Tampa, Ybor and Plant City), Simply Spring Thrift Store/Donation Warehouse (209 N. Willow Street), and the Spring Vintage Boutique (3418 West Swann Avenue).

In 2003, The Spring created the “Love Shouldn’t Hurt” program, in conjunction with the Hillsborough County Domestic Violence Task Force, to provide prevention-minded educational presentations to adolescents and young adults -- helping them identify potentially dangerous situations in dating relationships, and develop emotionally healthy relationship behaviors.

Thanks to our Covenant Partners and Friends, PWM continues to impact families through partnerships with organizations such as The Spring of Tampa Bay. Thanks to you, for making it happen!

J.A. Morton, Staff Writer

For more information, visit www.thespring.org.