PRESS RELEASE

Community Partnership for Homeless Facilitates Culture of Change for Cities Struggling with Homelessness


Miami, Fla. — August 10, 2009 — Community Partnership for Homeless (CPH) is reaching out to cities throughout the United States to help communities 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.

While the homeless population has shown a marked decline in Miami-Dade County, reports indicate that nationally, the number of homeless families is increasing. Under the charge of CPH Chairman Robert E. Chisholm and Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust (Trust) Chairman Ronald Book, Community Partnership for Homeless National Program was launched in 2008 to assist communities in developing programs that effectively and compassionately reduce the number of homeless throughout the United States.

The November seminar will be hosted at CPH’s Chapman Center in downtown Miami. It is the second seminar hosted by CPH National and offers city leaders a chance to learn about site planning, fundraising, budgeting, staffing, business and philanthropic involvement and more. Participants are given an inside look at the day-to-day operations of CPH’s Homeless Assistance Centers and the opportunity to meet with the people who have made the Miami program a success.

CPH, created as part of a public-private partnership with the Trust operates two facilities in Miami-Dade County and serves more than 700 people every day. CPH provides 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 Community Partnership for Homeless and the November seminar is available online at www.cphinational.org or by calling Alfredo Brown at 305-329-3013 or Lisa McCrum at 305-329-3020.