Celebrating 15 Years at Vincent House

As Vincent House approaches its 15^th anniversary this week, we look back on how far we have come from our humble beginnings and aspirations. With a dream to rehabilitate adults with severe mental illnesses deemed “unemployable,” today Vincent House has over seven hundred members getting back to work in our community. Fifteen years later, we have three centers spanning the Florida Gulf Coast helping members to accomplish their personal goals.

On January 20, 2003, Vincent House opened its doors to adults diagnosed with mental illness who were seeking new skills and a sense of belonging with peers and staff. Our first location was in a store front in Buccaneer Plaza in Pinellas Park. Despite the fact that we were operating from a cooler and a giant slow cooker, the food was a remark

able taste experience. Our creative founders, Elliott and Dianne Steele, made our simple beginnings seem like a fun-filled challenge.

In 2005, we moved to our present location, originally a former doctors’ office which we remodeled. We were also blessed with contributions from builders in the community, and in 2009, we began an addition to the building.  We celebrated the Grand Opening of our newly remodeled and larger facility on January 20, 2010. The occasion was in the Vincent House back yard, complete with a ribbon cutting, an outdoor feast and musical entertainment.

Presently, our facility now has a “state of the art” kitchen, along with technology throughout our facility that is cutting edge.  It allows for our members to participate in a facility and develop skills that are commensurate with the economy. 

In 2016, we opened two new facilities, Vincent Academy in Sarasota and Vincent Academy Adventure Coast, which located in Hernando County that serves that county and four surrounding counties.

Over the past fifteen years, our program has grown exponentially and we are proud of our communities' many accomplishments.  As we set our sights on the next 15 years, we know that one thing that won’t be affected as we navigate the waters of change is our commitment to the Clubhouse model that is the cornerstone of our success. We are determined to share our mission with an ever growing circle of community support. Vincent House is a community success story and we will continue writing to the pages of our story with the generous support of the entire Gulf Coast community.

For an even more detailed history see this story... http://vincenthouse.org/exciting-news/