Sundari Foundation, Inc.

I helped as a volunteer in the culinary part. I really enjoyed it. The staff were nice to me and I am happy that I helped women of my society.

I volunteered to help in the kitchen and to serve the meal. I was welcomed very warmly by the team, with clear explanations.

I volunteered at Lotus House to help in the kitchen with a friend of mine. We both felt that the energy in all of the staff was so amazing. Everyone was helpful and engaging. Something that I loved seeing was how healthy the meals were and it made me so happy to know there’s a place like this in the community.

One of the best non-profits and shelters for children and woman. They go above and beyond!! One of the best places, I’ve had the opportunity to volunteer for. They give 100%

I was really impressed with Lotus House. The energy is fabulously positive! There is nothing but love here and they do a wonderful service for women and children in need. There needs to be more places like Lotus!

Lotus House is aweso.e place if you need a second chance at life,not only does Mrs.Constance and her staff help you in every possible area of your life,they actually care and want to help.These are the most caring staff ever,they support and uplift you.I am an alumi and I am forever grateful.

The Lotus House is a transformative place and charity dedicated to uplifting women and children in the Miami area. It is not simply a shelter for those in need. Its mission is holistic, not merely housing. That is why it has job training—on site at the shelter and its thrift store. That is why it provides mental health services in partnership with local organizations. That is why the Lotus House provides furniture and Christmas toys to guests transitioning to permanent housing. That is why it teaches the guests about healthy eating and cooking. That is why it hosts health fairs so its neighbors in the historically Black community of Overtown can have greater access to healthcare. The Lotus House is more than a home for the homelessness; it is a beacon of hope for the hopeless.

My children and I we're at Lotus house in 2013-2014 (I mostly stay to myself because I needed the help) Some of the staff are very rude and nasty and honestly Constance doesn't want to hear it. Some of the other guess were friends with the staff so that staff allowed sneaking alcohol and marijuana. Some of the guess that were friends with the stuff have been allowed to come back even after physical fights with other guests. I was kicked out of the shelter because one of the Guess Who became friendly with the staff, threaten me.. even though I have witnesses came to my Aid to defend me and say what they had heard that woman was allowed to stay my room was moved. About two weeks after my room was moved this woman attacked me and we both were kicked out. 2018 I was in a tough situation then I found out that I am band from that shelter..

With their emblem subsidiary Lotus House, This non profit helps in more than one way to emergent women and children overcome a difficult transition. Their commitment to give stability goes beyond room and board, the training and care program for adults and children is great.

I have seen how well the resident's do after living at the two homes run by the Sundari Foundation. They receive job training, counseling, parenting skills and many other things.

The Lotus House Women's Shelter is a unique, immensely supportive community environment for homeless women in Miami-Dade County. It provides not only a place to stay and food to eat, but also one-on-one daily wrap around services with each guest in order to help these women gain steady income and become self-sufficient with stable housing and resources. I have personaly seen women who were left with nothing as the result of domestic violence, illness or poverty go through Lotus House's program to obtain housing and dependable income. Lotus House is helping women daily change their lives and get back on their feet. It is a wonderful organization.

Being a volunteer at Lotus House has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. We have fun lessons, while learning a language that it is key for their prospective job career. Women and kids are the integration center of any family. At the shelter, you can feel they are a large, whole, and powerful family, where every one has their own responsabilites and support each other. The staff and President, are always available at the shelter, ready to serve and help at any moment, facing the challanges with such a positive attitude, always with a BIG SMILE!! They are an example for all of us, I am so privilaged to be able to participate and be of service in whatever way I can! In todays society, I just wish children and teenagers new more about this project...

My wife and I heard abut Lotus House from someone we know that is familiar with the type of program Lotus House uses to assist women in need. It caught our attention and we visited the House and talked to its leader and got to meet some of the employees and volunteers. Lotus House approach to serve is unique in the sense that helps women with different needs to spend time in the House for a period long enough that lets redirect their lives. It is not a short term shelter to assist in short term basic needs. The women are supported in dealing with their particular need, trained to move forward in terms of employment, they get the message that they are important and that the House is not a quick fix. When you visit the House you feel a sense of peace and love, you see that the people there both the women guests, volunteers and staff really have a common purpose. It is refreshing to see that places like this exist in the middle of the very confused world we live in today. Vivian/Ralph Morera

Making art as an adult requires a certain amount of bravery and a willingness to take risks. The rewards are complex and spiritual but the challenges sometimes seem daunting and the justifications for so much time and energy often frivolous. Not so at the Lotus House. As we hang out with the ladies and draw or paint or tie-dye or just gossip while struggling with beading or duct tape or whatever materials we are transforming, some kind of wonderful open aura of ideas and "making" floats around the space. We are all bliss-ed out together by reinventing something. Everyone there is full of talent of one sort or another and many unexpected ideas flow out while we get our hands dirty. Maybe it's the fact that women sitting together start to bond with little coaxing. How can you ignore such a wonderful refuge and resource? Women who leave the Lotus House after their healing experience become productive compassionate much evolved members of society. Bravo.

The Lotus House shelter is a warm and caring space where women in need can find the resources they need to help them get back on their feet. They provide a broad variety of services for the clients in all areas, mind, body & spirit. I am impressed with the whole approach and commitment of the staff. It is a wonderful place filled with hope.

This organization works. Philosophically sound, the Lotus House theory put into practice has enabled many women to find their center and come to a place where they can support themselves and often, their babies. Everyone participates from residents to volunteers to staff in sensible, practical harmony that produces concrete results; empowering individuals & enabling them to not only survive, but in many cases thrive, in the general community after they move on from the shelter.

I have never seen women undergo such positive transformations by being part of an organization as I have seen at Lotus House.

The experience I have had with the women and volunteers at the Lotus House have always been so positive. The shelter helps so many women and babies and I am happy to donat all that I can to help them. The volunteers are very helpful and appreciative.

My connection has evolved so that now I am an enthusiastic supporter and fund/friend raiser for Lotus House, the shelter run by the Sundari Foundation. This miracle of of private philanthropy, helps to rehabilitate women and returns them to fruitful lives. It is at the epicenter of what private philanthropy can accomplish.

The Lotus House Shelter is magical place where women get real chances in a kind of environment so very unique yet necessary. Every single women there is treated with kindness and respect. It´s a lovely family continuously moving forward. Everyone gets equal chances, resources, meals, clothing, a bed and support and understanding, among all other aspects of the fantastic program the shelter offers. I am forever grateful to be a part of such a wonderful organization.

An oasis of peace and healing energy that truly enables its clients to regroup, reevaluate and learn the skills they need to lead full, fulfilling lives, with measurable, concrete results.

I have worked with the Lotus House on several locations through the Junior League of Miami and each time I walk away with a deeper understanding and appreciation for the Sundari Foundation. The memory that sticks out in my mind daily was when we were moving a woman into an apartment with her two young children right before Christmas. After we were done moving the beds, building the dresses and hanging the drapes the woman's young son - about 3 years old ran into the apartment and said, "This is my house? Is Santa going to come to my house?" My heart sank. We see the faces of the homeless everyday as we drive through downtown however when you roll up your sleeves and see all the amazing things that the Lotus House does - like allowing a little boy to have Santa come to his house... You understand the impact of this amazing organization.

Constance Collins could have continued her career as a successful developer. Instead, she used her professional expertise, talents, and resources to create and run Lotus House, a shelter for homeless women and infants in Overtown, a low income section of Miami. In the midst of abandoned buildings and lots, Constance has created an oasis for women in distress. I had the privilege of volunteering at Lotus House last year and am in awe of the concept and program Constance has created. For many of these women, this is the first time in their lives they are treated as sacred human beings. The approach is a holistic one - to heal the whole person. From clean, safe housing, to healthy meals, counseling, career development, yoga, creative writing and more, Lotus House provides a safe place for women to heal and develop their potential. This year our synagogue created a community garden to grow fresh organic vegetables for Lotus House. It is a joy and privilege to be associated with such a caring and sacred enterprise. Rabbi Jody Cohen

I have visited Lotus House on several occasions and have found the work that is done there to be remarkable. The pleasant surroundings, the obvious excellence of the many services provided and the very enthusiastic and optimistic atmosphere are cannot be commended enough. I visited Lotus House when I delivered donations of clothing on several occasions and then again with a small group from my synagogue to deliver the gift bags which were made as a project by the women of Temple Emanu-el on Miami Beach. The staff and the residents were so willing to share information with us about the program here and the variety of food, health, educational programs as well as the comfortable living conditions. We were all so moved and impressed by the quality of this program and hope to repeat the project next year.

* Lotus House is a sanctuary for distress women. * Lotus House has been an asset to me throughout my writing process. *Lotus House has given me leverage to fulfill my Divine Mission - write and find myself. * The Founder/President of the Lotus House - Ms Constance Collins has proven to be very understanding. * Ms Constance is also very open for dialoguing with residents. * Lotus House has equipped hundreds of women to find job and housing. * The Staff of the Lotus House is very adaptable to the residents.

Each day, i am blessed to share the amazing grace of the divine spirits of so many women and children who call Lotus House their home, until they have their own. Lotus House provides sanctuary, support, tools and resources for women and children who are homeless and in need of a safe space to transform their lives, to become who they were truly meant to be. With a holistic environment designed to heal, nurture, and support each woman in accomplishing her goals, Lotus House offers love and encouragement, compassion and understanding, and the support, tools, resources and time to truly heal, grow and transform their lives. Virtually every woman who enters our door has suffered traumas of body, mind and spirit. She is afforded an opportunity to heal, learn and improve the quality of her life on every level. She is empowered by access to medical and mental health treatment, pre-natal care and parenting classes, individual therapy and group counseling, intensive recovery support, job readiness training, day care and transportation assistance, health and wellness education, financial literacy and computer classes, social services support and housing assistance,to afford her an opportunity to discover who she is when she is not in crisis and build a safe, secure and better way of life for herself and her children. The enrichment activities at Lotus House, like art, yoga, aerobics, creative writing, book club, dance, body talk, music concerts, walking club, field trips and more, offer alternative pathways to healing and build long lasting shared community at Lotus House, both for those who live with us and the many volunteers who make these offerings possible. Lotus House offers a sacred space for each woman and child in need to blossom into who they are truly meant to be. In the end, what makes Lotus House special are the women and children whose paths cross our threshold and enrich the lives of all they touch with love, compassion, greater understanding,and enlightened consciousness. May it always rest on the firm ground of emptiness!

The Lotus House Shelter operated by the Sundari Foundation is truly cutting edge technique to address the universal reality of homelessness. Five years ago I was at a time in my life when it felt like every adversity available to mankind swept over me and in this plaguelike state I became overwhelmed and literally "found" myself homeless. From my initial experience with the staff at the Lotus House it felt as though an enormous burden had been lifted and that I was surrounded by individuals who cared about what happened to me. This experience will remain with me for at that time I found myself alone without my family and after my psyche was healed, the Lotus House replaced that loss. As I continue to heal I use my story as an incentive to others who feel hopeless and helpless and to take this message to other women to provide a ray of hope.

I work at an organization that employs many of the women from the Lotus House. It is always such a refreshing delight to work with them. They are sweet, professional, hard working and always extremely grateful. They are also very focused and you can tell the take the opporunities given to them very seriously. The women talk about the future, their plans, and in today's rocky economy, it is nice to see this type of optimism. The Lotus House provides a service to these women and that cannot be found anywhere else in Miami. It treats women on a holistic level and provides them with serives and skills they would otherwise not have access to. We are very lucky to have a shelter of this kind in our community.

The Lotus House is nothing like usual shelters. As a matter of fact, the Lotus House should be considered more like a healing “resort” than a shelter. Apart from too strict a curfew and a couple of inexperienced staff members - at time abusive, and perhaps insufficiently monitored – in my humble point of view, with its paradisiacal gardens, the Lotus House stands as an oasis of peace in the desert of homelessness. There is no need to remind that everything provided is completely free of charge: • Food – three daily complete meals. • Laundry – on site washers and dryers plus detergent. • Trainings – from computing to cooking. • Medical attention [on site and also from outside providers] – physical one including dental, but also mental one. • Complete room with sheets and towels. • All personal supplies – soap, touch brush, toilet paper, sanitary tissues … • And many entertainment and other activities – from belly dancing to outings at the beach or visiting gardens and museums. • And so on and so forth … [producing an exhausting list is really impossible]. This wide array of services is supplied by numerous experts available on site and on a daily basis: wellness specialist, resources coordinators, program coordinator, therapist plus an employment specialist. Outside suppliers also contribute to the program on a regular basis. For instance a nutritionist that comes to instruct guests on improving their eating habits, the art teachers that provide weekly sessions and financial advisors that present seminars on sound financial practices. it must be pointed out that an employment specialist monitors guests [current and old ones] on a daily basis in terms of job hunting, production of efficient resume and covering letters, and any other coaching needs. Out of the multiple gifts bestowed by the Lotus House, the most valuable one would be the one of soft and respectful welcome, particularly from its very zen president, Ms Constance who never raises her voice. On the contrary Ms Constance would kindly “chastise” any staff member who dares treating her guests disrespectfully, or should they fail to best address guests’ needs and requests. Indeed, those who sojourn at the Lotus House are referred to as guests as opposed to clients, residents or worse yet homeless. And they are really treated with the personal touch with which any host would hail family and friends. Celebrations are organized on every special occasion, Christmas, New Year’s Eve and Day, Valentine Day, Lotus House Birth Anniversary, Mothers Days, Memorial Day, Thanks Giving Day, and many more. On these circumstances, Guests will create and prepare a special menu, or outside caterer will deliver more elaborated meals. And every guest receive and share a cake on their birthday. Among the best parts of my stay at the Lotus House are the following activities: * Jewelry making classes. * Morning Sessions of Inspirational Thoughts. * Creative writing. * Book Club. * Yoga. * Cooking training. * Gardening projects. * Therapy sessions. I frequently return to the Lotus House to attend to classes of yoga, creative writing and book club, jewelry making, … and so on. I also enjoy talking with guests and staff at their breaks, or simply hanging around its garden. I guess what I find here is a sense of tolerant security that exists nowhere else. More importantly, I obtain any assistance I may require, ad infinitum! For instance, after a year of termination, the Lotus House blessed me with tremendous assistance as I was moving to a new apartment [three differing loads of furniture and other useful materials delivered by pleasant and friendly volunteers!!!]. I also continuously benefit from recommendation letters anytime I so require, to name only those. It is hoped that the Lotus House is setting new standards, not only in the field of shelters bust mostly in terms of women empowerment. I will personally remain eternally grateful to the tremendous gifts that the Lotus House has “poured” and continue to “pour” onto myself. In complete earnest, the last complimentary note should be attributed to all the staff members and volunteers whose dedication and commitment go far and above their work attributions. Gigantic Thanks & Bravo Lotus House !!!

Lotus House is a sanctuary for the community in the middle of an economically challenged area in Miami. The grounds are beautiful, with beautiful living areas and well maintained gardens. The staff is committed, helpful and kind. The residents are friendly and seem proud and healthy. The overall feeling of the shelter is one of calm, stability, respect and hope.