Our Story
Peer Support Space was created by Co-Founders Dandelion Hill and Yasmin Flasterstein. The two met while working at a emotional health nonprofit, where they both led the creation and management of a program that was created in response to the Pulse tragedy to help provide free services to those affected while destigmatizing emotional health.
Dandelion has navigated their own obstacles to mental wellness as a survivor of domestic violence, childhood sexual assault, and suicidality. Yasmin is also inspired by her personal background which includes experience as a suicide survivor, and a person living with cPTSD and Dissociative Disorder. While they both share unique and personal stories, they both felt peer services kept them alive during their darkest moments struggling with suicidality.
Inspired by the power of lived experience, today, they share the challenges they have navigated with others to inspire hope and instill the belief that recovery is possible, that you can get well despite mental illness, despite difficult life circumstances.
Founded Feb 2019
Peer Support Space was founded as a peer-led organization where we use our lived experience to support and hold space for one another as we navigate our unique journeys with life struggles, mental illness and/or substance misuse challenges, neurodivergence, grief, or other obstacles to mental wellness.
Dandelion Hill, CRPS, NCPS, MSW
Dandelion is a neurodivergent healer who is deeply rooted in providing compassionate care. They have lived experience surviving domestic violence that has offered a framework for their recovery work alongside other folks.
They are a Masters of Social Work graduate from the University of Central Florida.
While they are both Florida State Certified as Certified Recovery Peer Specialist and Nationally Certified Peer Specialist, they acknowledge that these certifications aren’t necessary for one to be a good peer and that lived experience coupled with compassion, humility, and authenticity are more importantly at the foundation of all they do. At the end of the day, their degree and credentialing is merely another tool in their arsenal.
Ultimately, Dandelion is passionate about cultivating peer support resources that centers lived experience and unique community needs.
Yasmin Flasterstein
Yasmin's lived experiences including living with neurodivergence, cPTSD, and Dissociative Disorder led her to be passionate about emotional health.
After bringing a UCF student emotional health organization from 20 to over 200 members, Yasmin worked in the emotional health response to Orlando's Pulse tragedy.
Yasmin serves as a member of the Central Florida Commission on Homelessness and as a part of the Orange County Mental and Behavioral Health System of Care Implementation Team. She has served as a Board Member for countless organizations including Peer Support Coalition of Florida, One Orlando Alliance, and Central Florida Cares Health System.
In her spare time, Yasmin enjoys dancing, singing, dark humor, making collages, and playing with her dog DeeDee.