The Spring of Tampa Bay Inc

“The Form 990 is presented to the finance committee as well as the board of directors prior to filing.”

“The organization's conflict of interest policy, as it relates to the governing body, is discussed at orientation for officers, directors, members and President/CEO. The President/CEO surveys the leaders for potential conflicts on an annual basis or more frequently as may be necessary to enforce this policy. Also, a written questionnaire is provided annually to each board member and key employee to help identify any potential conflicts of interest.”

“The board of directors elects a sub-committee to handle the hiring of the President and CEO and determines compensation based on experience and salary survey results. Annually, the President and CEO presents to the board of directors for approval, a budget that includes compensation for all employees and a mid-fiscal year cost of living increase for employees with at least one year of service. Within the compensation line item of the budget there is occasionally some discretion for the CEO or senior management, with CEO approval, to award merit increases to select employees based on performance, or to adjust compensation to align with market comps/salary surveys.”

“The Spring provides its governing documents, conflict of interst policy and financial statements for public inspection upon request. Additionally, The Spring's financial statements and Form 990 reside on our website.”

“Last year we answered 5,562 crisis calls on this hotline (10,001 calls in total) and 86 text/chat inquiries from survivors. At the shelter, resident children from 6 weeks old through 5th grade have access to onsite kids' programs in our school complex, including daycare for infants/toddlers/preschoolers, an elementary school run by Hillsborough County Public Schools (HCPS), and kids of all ages have access to afterschool educational groups & activities run by our children's advocates. Adults in the shelter can participate in educational groups and one-on-one coaching that build financial literacy, job skills, & life skills through our Economic Empowerment program. Adults & teens can also learn tips on health and wellness and be connected to free medical and dental providers. Family pets are brought to the shelter and then kept safe through community relationships forged by the pet program. In partnership with the Clerk of the Circuit Court & the Hillsborough County Bar Foundation, deputized advocates can assist victims with filing injunctions for protection directly from the safety of the shelter. Last year, deputized shelter advocates assisted in filing 92 injunctions. In our Peace Village apartment complex, survivors have opportunities for a longer stay with us. When a domestic violence survivor is financially self-sufficient, her ability to be safe & move on with her life increases exponentially. The Spring's Peace Village program helps survivors become self-sufficient through generous support from Catholic Charities & the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners. Our secure complex is supervised by a director and an advocate and provides up to one year of affordable housing to participants who are working and building their financial security or are enrolled in post-secondary education or job training programs to become self-sufficient. Our team provides support groups, one-on-one advocacy & additional programs designed to help survivors & their children thrive. Potlucks, picnics, field trips & other informal gatherings all build a sense of community for these families. In FY23/24, The Spring served 55 people (31 adults & 24 children) in this 12-unit complex. The Spring's Rapid Rehousing (RRH) program is the third service within residential programs and is possible through support from the Tampa/Hillsborough Homeless Initiative (THHI). The Spring provides case management through RRH advocates who work with each survivor to identify a permanent housing unit (i.e. scattered site apartment or house) that meets their needs; is located near their social supports, school, work and childcare; and is affordable for them both while they receive 12-18 months of rental/financial assistance from The Spring and after they exit our RRH program and are expected to pay rent on their own. Their assigned RRH advocate connects with each survivor monthly and will provide as much or as little support as the survivor desires throughout their participation in the program. In FY23/24, The Spring served 110 people (57 adults & 53 children) through the Rapid Rehousing program.”

“In partnership with the Clerk of the Circuit Court and the Hillsborough County Bar Foundation, deputized outreach advocates assist with filing injunctions for protection from the safety of our outreach office, and last year assisted survivors in filing 78 injunctions, 91% of which were temporarily granted by a judge. Additionally, two specialized advocates work with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, Tampa Police Department and other local law enforcement agencies to increase victim safety in potentially lethal cases and two specialized advocates are co-located with child protection investigations and child welfare case management agencies to advocate for victims when their children are part of the child welfare system. Also located in outreach, our prevention team works extensively with young people in schools and community organizations to prevent teen dating violence and promote healthy relationships. The team also works proactively with teens and pre-teens who have been arrested for domestic violence offenses and, separately, runs our affiliate of the Camp HOPE America sleepaway camp and year-round mentoring program. In FY23/24, our outreach advocates provided face-to-face assistance (either in-person or via remote video platform) to 1,147 survivors of domestic violence (1,099 adults & 48 children).”

“In 2017, The Spring started its local legal services division with two attorneys employed full time by The Spring. Since then we have continued adding attorneys and now employ seven full time attorneys in Hillsborough County, licensed by the Florida Bar, who provide legal assistance & representation, completely free of charge regardless of income, to survivors of domestic violence who want to obtain an injunction for protection from the court as a means to increase safety from their abusers, or desire representation in dependency court to advocate for the best interests of their children. This project is supported by Award No. VOCA-C-2024-The Spring of Tampa Bay Inc-00042 awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice programs. Sponsored by The Spring of Tampa Bay and the State of Florida Office of the Attorney General. In FY23/24, our seven attorneys provided legal assistance & representation to 1,651 survivors in our community. Additionally, in 2023 The Spring began providing local legal services in Marion County (Ocala) to address an unmet need in that community, with the addition of a full-time attorney practicing in Marion. This project is supported by Award No. VOCA-C-2024-The Spring of Tampa Bay Inc-00413 awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice programs. Sponsored by The Spring of Tampa Bay and the State of Florida Office of the Attorney General. In FY23/24, our 1 full-time attorney in Marion County provided legal assistance & representation to 160 survivors in the community. Since 2021, The Spring has been part of a three-center team with CASA/Pinellas & Marion and Women in Distress/Broward who are awarded the statewide contract by the Florida Department of Children and Families to serve the training & technical assistance needs of Florida's 41 certified centers. The Spring's portion of this contract pertains to legal services for survivors of domestic violence throughout the state. We employ two statewide managing attorneys and a part-time consulting attorney who provide the oversight of the legal services work product of approximately 70 attorneys and 10 paralegals located at 30 certified centers throughout Florida. As part of this statewide reach, The Spring works to enhance and expand legal services for survivors in partnership with Florida's certified centers.”

“The process for oversight of the audit and selection of an independent auditor has not changed from the prior year.”