Vinson — Free Suicide Loss Survivors Peer Group Jacksonville, FL
The Vinson Foundation is a Jacksonville-based nonprofit dedicated to helping families and friends cope with losing a loved one to suicide. The foundation runs free, peer-led support group meetings several times throughout the month in Jacksonville and surrounding Duval County communities, along with one-on-one peer support for survivors who are not yet ready for a group setting. The model is consistent and steady — the same trained survivor peers showing up month after month.
What to Expect
The Vinson Foundation’s primary suicide loss support group meets the last Thursday of each month at 6:00 p.m., available both in person and via Zoom for anyone who cannot travel. Additional smaller groups meet across Jacksonville and the San Jose / Duval area on rotating schedules; the foundation can route you to the meeting closest to where you live or that fits your week. Sessions follow a peer support format — check-in, open sharing, and a brief grounding close. There is no curriculum, no clinician required to attend, and no fee. New attendees are warmly welcomed without paperwork.
Who This Group Is For
Adults 18 and older grieving the death of a family member, partner, friend, coworker, or other loved one to suicide. The loss can be recent or many years past; both newly bereaved members and long-term attendees are welcome in the same room. The foundation also extends one-on-one peer support to survivors who are not yet ready for a group, including phone-based check-ins and email correspondence.
Why Peer Support Works
Suicide loss carries layers other griefs do not — stigma, unanswered questions, complicated feelings about the person who died, and the silence of people who do not know what to say. Being in a peer room of other survivors is often the first place people feel they can speak honestly without softening the story. The Vinson Foundation’s hybrid format (in-person plus Zoom) means survivors do not have to choose between geography and access. The foundation has been quietly building this network across the First Coast for years, and members frequently describe the group as the only place they can say everything out loud without watching the listener flinch.
How to Join
The groups are free and open enrollment. To find the next meeting date, request the Zoom link, or ask about one-on-one peer support, call (904) 509-2749 or email gloriavinson@comcast.net. More information is at thevinsonfoundation.org. The national 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 for anyone in immediate crisis between meetings.