About Us

Tree House of Tallahassee, Inc., was established in 1986 as a shelter for abused and neglected children. Around this time, crack cocaine invaded Tallahassee and dislodged many children from previously stable homes. The late Patty Yancey was the founding mother of Tree House. Ms. Yancey was very active in the foster care program but realized in the mid 1980’s that she was unable to keep up with the numbers of children who needed care. These children were often being sent to Panama City, Pensacola or even Jacksonville. Ms. Yancey decided to open the first Tree House shelter, which still bears her name. Tree House is a community oversight program, and although administration of the houses is done by Children’s Home Society ("CHS"), Tree House owns both of the homes.

Tree House is a shelter for children who are 2 to 12 years old. The primary goal of the organization is to provide a homelike environment for our children. Depending on gender mix as well as the special circumstances of each child, the 2 houses generally care for an average of 16 children. Whenever possible, sibling groups are kept together to minimize disruption for the children.