Aleida Jacobo stood in front of the new Wesley House Family Services building holding a pair of large scissors. The anticipation was building as Jacobo, the CEO for Wesley House, prepared for a ceremonial ribbon-cutting on Nov. 14.
She was flanked by board members and staff. The lights shined bright on the group and the building behind in the nighttime. A sea of community supporters watched as the ribbon was cut on a new beginning for Wesley House in the Upper Keys.
Located at the former Lions Club at 5 Homestead Ave., Wesley House recently opened the new facility for the first time. Community members saw new offices, a large conference room and visitation areas for families. They were also treated to cocktails, appetizers and entertainment during an open house.
A nonprofit dedicated to children and families in the Florida Keys, Wesley House now has noticeable visibility in the community, and it’s something Jacobo has wanted for years.
Wesley House formerly operated across the street, at the bank building at MM 99.4. Jacobo said staff have worked at that location since 2005, but no one really knew they existed there, as there were no signs
“Everybody told us we were the best-kept secret,” Jacobo said.
A majority of Wesley House staff members live either in the Upper Keys or on the mainland, leading them to outgrow their former Key Largo location. In 2022, Wesley House acquired the Lions Club building. It wasn’t on the market as Wesley House began the search for bigger space, but word on the street was the club would consider selling it.
“We don’t have the option to say, ‘We can’t help you today’ and ‘We don’t have enough staff.’ We have to figure it out and make it work. This building assists with that,” Jacobo said.
With its name stamped across the new building, Wesley House is a secret no more to those in Key Largo, Tavernier and Islamorada. Jacobo said she’s especially excited to bring a new space for the roughly 50 staff members who work in the Upper Keys. Wesley House, which also has an office in Key West, offers services from child welfare and foster care to adoption and programs geared to support parenting and healthy living environments.
“I want (staff) to feel valued, and what they provide is an essential service. Even though we are not technically considered essential, we really are,” Jacobo said. “When the pandemic came, we still had to go to families’ homes and ensure people were OK. The Inez Martin Center in Key Wet stayed open during the pandemic so we could help first responders take care of their kids.”
Programs for expectant families and newborns in the Upper Keys have increased throughout the years, and so have family intervention/prevention services to families at risk of abuse and neglect. There’s also the Healthy Families Program, which provides young families with tools to promote child health and development, provide nurturing homes and ensure medical and social needs of families are met.
In the new building, two visitation rooms serve as safe environments for parents seeking to reunite with their children. Jacobo said Wesley House is charged with putting families back together, and it all starts with supervised visits. An observation room is nearby for staff to monitor the visitation.
“We have cameras observing so we let families interact normally and not have someone sitting in front of them,” she said. “Some cases are egregious and we have to be in the room, but the majority of the time we let families be with their children.”
The rooms feature toys and activities for the parent and child to enjoy. United Women in Faith members donated multicultural dolls to Wesley House as part of a Doll Project, a statewide program aiming to bring awareness to prejudice.
Outside, plans are in the works for an industrial-size playground for children and families for a normal encounter that’s not in a room.
Not only will the new facility be able to serve families in the Keys, but it will also give space for community organizations to meet in its large conference room.
“The community is so accepting of us and our mission, and it’s very wonderful to see,” Jacobo said.
Jacobo said staff members are expected to begin working at the new facility in the next few weeks.
Photos by Jim McCarthy and Cindy Smith.
