Chapman Partnership Receives $5 Million Bezos Day 1 Families Fund Grant to Help End Homelessness for Families in Miami

Chapman Partnership, the private sector partner of the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust and the primary provider of emergency shelter in Miami-Dade County, today announced that it has received a $5 million grant from the Bezos Day 1 Families Fund—the largest private gift in the organization’s history. Launched in 2018 by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, the Day 1 Families Fund issues annual leadership awards to leading organizations on the frontlines that are employing compassionate, needle-moving work to help families move from unsheltered homelessness and shelters to permanent housing with the services they require to achieve stability.

“Providing a pathway to self-sufficiency for families experiencing homelessness is key to building stronger communities,” said Peter T. Pruitt, Jr., president and CEO of Chapman Partnership. “Thanks to the significant generosity of the Day 1 Families Fund and the philanthropic leadership of Jeff Bezos, Chapman Partnership is now positioned to make an even greater impact on family homelessness and achieve our vision of a Miami-Dade County where no one sleeps on the streets.”

This one-time grant will help Chapman Partnership in its tireless work to support families as they reel from skyrocketing rent costs, limited services and insufficient incomes. Chapman Partnership plans to use the grant funds to implement a system-wide approach that goes beyond shelter. The organization will reimagine its centers in a trauma-informed way that ensures families experiencing homelessness rebuild their lives in a healing environment.

To promote independent living and reduce recidivism, the grant will fund a certified approach for staff to recognize and respond to the effects of trauma, a specialized and expanded team to bolster clients’ completion of their housing success goals, enhanced holistic emotional-health programming and facility upgrades. This transformative gift is directly aligned with Chapman Partnership’s strategic plan to change the way its clients live, learn, work and play in South Florida and beyond.

Chapman Partnership was selected as a Day 1 Families Fund grant recipient by a group of national advisors who are leading advocates and experts on homelessness and service provision. National advisors brought expertise on housing justice, advancing racial equity and helping programs employ resources effectively to assist families out of homelessness.

Over the past five years, the Day 1 Families Fund has provided 170 grants totaling more than $520 million to organizations around the country working to combat homelessness and help families gain housing support and stability. This year, the Fund issued a total of $123.45 million in grants to the following organizations: Carpenter's Shelter; CATCH, Inc.; Catholic Community Services of Southern Arizona; The Center for Women and Families; Changing Homelessness; Chapman Partnership; Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County; Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo County, Inc.; Community Services & Employment Training (CSET); Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO); Family Promise of Hawai'i; Family Promise of Northern New Castle County; Family Services of Tulare County; Flagstaff Shelter Services; Gateway180; Heartland Alliance; H.O.M.E. Inc.; Homeless Alliance; Hope House of Milwaukee; Housing First, Inc.; Housing Forward; HRDC; Ka Hale A Ke Ola Homeless Resource Centers, Inc.; LA Family Housing; Mother Nation; Nashua Soup Kitchen & Shelter, Inc.; New Reach; Oglala Sioux Tribe; Partners for HOME; PATH; The Salvation Army, Denver Metro Area; Samish Indian Nation; San Diego Regional Task Force on Homelessness; Sojourner Truth House; Solo Por Hoy, Inc.; Start Corporation; Strategies to End Homelessness; The Wellspring; YWCA Cass Clay; and YWCA Missoula’s Housing Programs.

“We are truly honored to be one of the chosen recipients of the Day 1 Families Fund and the impactful difference that this grant will make in helping us achieve our vision of ending homelessness in Miami-Dade County for one of our most vulnerable populations,” said Chapman Partnership Board Chairman Edward J. Joyce. “The Day 1 Families Fund is to be commended for its passion and dedication to funding critical programs across the country that prioritize ending homelessness among families with children.”

The Bezos Day One Fund made a $2 billion commitment to focus on making meaningful and lasting impacts in two areas: funding existing nonprofits that help families experiencing homelessness, and creating a network of new, nonprofit tier-one preschools in low-income communities. The Day 1 Families Fund issues annual leadership awards to organizations and civic groups doing compassionate, needle-moving work to provide shelter and hunger support to address the immediate needs of young families. The vision statement comes from the inspiring Mary’s Place in Seattle: no child sleeps outside. For more information, visit www.BezosDayOneFund.org/Day1FamiliesFund.

About Chapman Partnership

Chapman Partnership was founded in 1993 and operates two Homeless Assistance Centers with 800 beds located in downtown Miami and Homestead. The nonprofit provides a comprehensive and innovative “village” of support for homeless men, women, and children. The support includes housing, meals, health and psychiatric care, after-school care, job training, job placement, and assistance with securing stable housing. At Chapman Partnership, aided by generous donors and sponsors, we empower the homeless, providing the tools and hope necessary to build a positive, independent future. An award-winning organization, Chapman Partnership is designated as a top ranked four-star charity from nationally recognized nonprofit evaluator Charity Navigator. Chapman Partnership is a private sector partner of the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust. Learn more at www.chapmanpartnership.org.

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