PRESS RELEASE

Community Partnership for Homeless Offers Best Practices and Proven Solutions to Communities Struggling With Homelessness


Miami, Fla. — September 22nd, 2009 —

Community Partnership for Homeless (CPH) is reaching out to cities throughout the United States to help them deal with homelessness. The Miami-based non-profit will host a seminar November 12-13 to share its successful model, which has helped to significantly reduce the number of men, women and children living on the streets in Miami-Dade County.

Community Partnership for Homeless National Program was launched in 2008 to share best practices with communities needing to develop programs that effectively and compassionately reduce the number of homeless throughout the United States.

Featured speakers include former U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness Executive Director Philip Mangano, Mayor of the City of Miami Manny Diaz, former Miami-Dade County Mayor Alex Penelas, Armando Codina, Chairman of Flagler Development Group and Ronald Book, Chair of the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust.

Seminar topics include building partnerships with elected officials, business, philanthropic and neighborhood groups, zoning and site planning, staffing, security, fundraising, budgeting, day to day operations, working with continuum-of-care partners along with other valuable information your community needs to effectively help its citizens back on the road towards self-sufficiency. Participants are given an inside look at the day-to-day operations of CPH's Homeless Assistance Centers and the opportunity to meet with people who have made the Miami program a success.

CPH operates two facilities in Miami-Dade County and serves more than 700 people every day providing shelter, educational programs, case management, job training, job search assistance and many other services. Since its creation, CPH has served nearly 75,000 people with a successful outplacement rate of 61 percent. The next step may be placement with partner agencies providing substance abuse or mental health services, transitional housing or on to self-sufficiency. More than 32 percent of the outplacements are to market-rate housing. Through the generosity of donors, CPH often provides furniture and household items to residents moving into their own home. Families are provided follow-up services for up to one year upon their discharge from the CPH program. CPH operates with the help of a 1 percent food and beverage tax levied on restaurants with a liquor license grossing more than $400,000 each year.

Information about CPH and registration for the November seminar is available online at www.cphinational.org. Please register as soon as possible as space is limited.