Hope for Bereaved — Free Bereavement Peer Support Jacksonville, FL
The Hope for Bereaved Jacksonville Beach group offers a free, peer-led monthly bereavement support group for adults grieving the death of a loved one. Hosted in the Kelly Room at St. Paul’s Athletic Center in Jacksonville Beach, the group is part of the Hope for Bereaved network of peer support communities — built on the model of trained facilitators who have personally experienced loss creating space for newly bereaved members to share, listen, and find their footing again.
What to Expect
The group meets the 3rd Wednesday of every month at 7:00 p.m. in the Kelly Room at St. Paul’s Athletic Center, 212 5th Street North, Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250. The format is classic peer support: a check-in round, open sharing, and a brief grounding close. Conversation is confidential. There is no curriculum, no clergy involvement (the venue is shared with a Catholic parish but the group is non-denominational), and no expectation that members speak before they are ready. Newly bereaved attendees and members years into their grief sit together, and both bring something the room needs.
Who This Group Is For
Adults 18 and older grieving the death of a spouse, partner, parent, child of any age, sibling, friend, or chosen family member. The Jacksonville Beach group is open to any type of loss — sudden, anticipated, illness, accident, overdose — and to grievers from any faith background and none. Members come from across the Jacksonville Beaches, the Southside, and surrounding First Coast communities.
Why Peer Support Works
Grief tends to outlast the patience of people in our daily lives. A monthly peer group gives mourners a place where the loss does not need to be explained or minimized — a room where everyone already understands. Trained Hope for Bereaved facilitators who have walked through significant loss themselves bring a steady, grounded presence without imposing any particular framework on members’ grief. Decades of research on bereavement consistently show that grievers who attend regular peer groups report lower depression and improved coping over time compared to those grieving in isolation.
How to Join
The group is free and open enrollment; no registration is required, but a quick call to the facilitator ahead of your first meeting helps with seating and welcome. For meeting confirmation or questions, contact Kathy Borkowski at (904) 553-8933. More on the Hope for Bereaved peer support model is at hopeforbereaved.com/services/support-groups. The national 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 for anyone needing immediate support.