In a time of adversity, Chapman Partnership brings an afternoon of hope and encouragement to the community with its Reflecting Resilience summit, presented by Womenade, a group of women from all walks of life who are committed to the mission of increasing awareness and revenue for Chapman Partnership.
In an effort to keep our community safe, the 11th Annual Take A Walk in Her Shoes Vintage Fashion Show was reimagined using an innovative approach to connect with our community over the topic of resilience.
On Tuesday September 1 at 2 p.m, Nancy G. Brinker, Global Cancer Advocate Founder of Susan G. Komen and Co-Founder of Promise Fund of Florida, will give a keynote address on her experience in building a strong brand and global movement for Breast Cancer awareness and then six-time Emmy Award winner Laurie Jennings will lead a Q & A session featuring Chapman Partnership President and CEO Symeria Hudson and renowned chef Michelle Bernstein. Hudson will speak about how Chapman Partnership has managed to maintain the health and safety of over 800 individuals and families while Bernstein will share how the food and beverage industry has been impacted, and the creative approaches to navigating unchartered waters during a global health pandemic.
“As an organization whose mission is to empower those experiencing homelessness, we witness resilience in our residents every day,” said Hudson. “We know that what our community needs right now is a chance to come together and be a part of motivating conversations and receive inspiration from distinguished trailblazers like Ms. Brinker.”
Brinker is regarded as the leader of the global breast cancer movement. Her new and revolutionary fundraising initiative, The Promise Fund, connects cancer care providers with vulnerable populations in South Florida – people in financial need and those who have moved to Florida from Puerto Rico and other areas following devastating hurricanes. It’s this outstanding philanthropic commitment and compassion for those in need that earns Ms. Brinker the 2020 Trish Bell Lifetime Achievement.
Chapman’s Reflecting Resilience Summit, Tuesday September 1, 2020, 12:3o p.m. to 2 p.m., tickets are $25, click here to reserve online.
For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Arlene Peterson at apeterson@chapmanpartnership.org. To learn more about Chapman Partnership, please visit chapmanpartnership.org.
Source: Social Miami
Birds twitter and tree leaves rustle outside the door of freshman Nia Nelson’s dorm. Finally, she has some peace and quiet.
Nelson moved into her studio apartment at FIU this summer. She moved in early for good reason.
For nearly two years, Nelson was homeless. She and her family lived on the streets of Miami before moving into Chapman Partnership, a residential facility providing comprehensive support and stable housing.
But in the face of this challenge, Nelson stepped up. She earned a 3.9 GPA at iPrep Academy. Today, she is receiving the Homeless Tuition Exemption, a scholarship to FIU. Nelson is studying nursing.
“[Living at FIU] has allowed me to take care of things that I couldn’t do before. Now I have time to go to the store, or do my work whenever, or sleep in when I don’t have any work or do extracurricular things when my work is done,” Nelson said.
Hitting the snooze button and buying groceries may seem like mundane activities to the average college student, but not to Nelson. These are cherished moments in a life that has been an absolute grind.
As a high school student, Nelson attended classes in the mornings like any other teenager. But similarities in routine between her and her classmates stopped there. She did her homework not at home, but either at school or in a fast food restaurant. Her nights were spent in a dormitory with her mother and four younger siblings at Chapman Partnership. It was a supportive environment, but it came with many rules and curfews.
“I barely had free time. When I did have time to myself, I just liked to listen to music a lot. I would drown myself out with music,” Nelson said.
Between school work and family time, Nelson volunteered at Aventura Hospital & Medical Center as part of a school requirement. She shadowed the nurses and doctors, watching how they interact with people and treat their patients.
Each trip to the hospital required Nelson to take three different buses, but she didn't complain. In fact, in the two years that she volunteered in Aventura, the Miami native never told the doctors and nurses she was homeless. She didn’t tell people at school, either. They all found out when she was featured on NBC’s Today Show.
“If I would have known that she was homeless, would I have treated her differently? Probably yes. Probably like someone who has a disability. She didn’t want us to know,” creative writing teacher Melissa Keller said in an interview with NBC.
While Nelson attends FIU, her mother and siblings are still living with Chapman Partnership. The family remains very close.
“Nia is a symbol of hope and a symbol of possibilities,” said Symeria Hudson, president and CEO of Chapman Partnership. “I think we have been able to help her break a cycle of homelessness. Unfortunately, it plagues our communities where if a parent is homeless, the child typically is. I think we helped break that cycle in that family."
Nelson’s education at FIU is being supported financially by Fostering Panther Pride and Golden Scholars.
“I feel that she will be successful at FIU because of the traits she has demonstrated. She responds to her emails, follows up and is always on top of things,” Program Director Ana Ramos ’10, MS ’11 said.
Nelson's persistence is self-evident. A year ago, she became the first person in her family to earn a high school diploma. Now, she is ready to take in the university experience and launch her career as a nurse.
“I enjoy working with people, interacting, just making a conversation," Nelson said. "People depend on me, so I have a feeling that I can be depended upon."
Source: FIU News
MIAMI - The Florida Blue Foundation has recognized two South Florida programs as winners of its prestigious Sapphire Award for excellence and innovation in community health, and for the two group’s impact on people battling opioids/substance use disorders. The nonprofits are each
receiving awards of $70,000.
The Medication Assisted Treatment program at Memorial Healthcare System in Broward County launched in 2015 to address the skyrocketing incidence of opioid use in pregnant women and reduce the number of babies born with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. In 2017, the program
expanded to help all patients battling opioid addiction. Since its inception, the program has served more than 500 patients, successfully connecting them to primary care services and psychiatric care.
Founded in 2016 after the passage of Florida's Infectious Disease Elimination Act (IDEA), the IDEA Syringe Services Program in Miami-Dade County provides new syringes in exchange for used ones, creating health equity and increasing access to the tools necessary to keep people
healthy - especially those who are most vulnerable. A third South Florida program, Chapman Partnership’s Miami Hope Clinic, is a 2020 Sapphire Awards finalist, and received an award of $30,000.
In total, the Florida Blue Foundation awarded Sapphire Awards to six winners and a finalist in individual, program and organization categories for their work addressing issues of poverty and opioids/substance abuse. Those recognized represent communities throughout the state of
Florida. A total of $470,000 was awarded.
As this year’s awards dinner did not take place due to coronavirus concerns, the honorees will be recognized at the 2021 Sapphire Awards event, part of the Foundation’s annual Community Health Symposium that brings together health advocates from across the country to discuss
major health issues.
“Although we could not gather in person this year to honor these excellent community organizations, the outcomes and results achieved by these honorees are stellar, and we did not want to delay their well-deserved recognition,” said Florida Blue Foundation Vice President Susan Towler. These honorees represent the best in community health across our state.”
Since 2005, the Florida Blue Foundation has invested more than $5.5 million, and given out 114 Sapphire Awards given to 29 individuals and 85 programs and organizations that effectively address health issues in their Florida communities.
Words by Sandy Lindsey | June 29, 2020 | People
The death of her uncle while homeless was a profound experience for Symeria Hudson, one that keeps her driving toward a goal of one day ending homelessness in South Florida.
After 20 years as a corporate executive in the U.S. and England, Symeria Hudson decided to take on a new role as CEO of Chapman Partnership. Not only was it a professional goal for her to work at a non-profit, but she also has a personal connection to the cause. “My uncle was homeless and unfortunately passed away without finding the right resources to help get him off the streets,” she says. “Knowing first-hand the hardships of poverty and housing instability, I’m ready to take on a new and innovative approach to ending homelessness in our own community.” Since 1995, Chapman Partnership has provided essential services to more than 110,000 individuals experiencing homelessness in South Florida — including nearly 25,000 children. As such, they provide emergency shelter to 800 residents daily, comprehensive case management, meals, health, dental services, psychiatric care, daycare, employment training, job placement and assistance with securing stable housing. Since her tenure, she’s shifted to the organization toward a comprehensive business model that addresses homelessness across all demographic groups from early childhood development to adults and their recently launched Social Enterprise Academy. “Our goal is to combine out-of-the-box solutions with forward-thinking approaches,” she says. “As a woman and a minority, I’m driven by serving as a role model and demonstrating that anyone can reach their true potential.”
Source: Brickell Magazine
Chapman Partnership received a fresh makeover with the launch of its new website redesign: chapmanpartnership.org.
The website relaunch moves Chapman Partnership forward in its vision to drive exciting new enhancements to the organization. Now celebrating its 25th anniversary, the organization’s new leadership team is focused on leveraging innovative technology and programming to advance its mission of empowering the homeless community in Miami.
Users are welcomed to the newly designed website with a message that truly speaks to Chapman Partnership’s mission, “Transforming Lives Together”, with an all-new video on the home page featuring the faces and spaces behind the great organization.
To make the topic of homelessness approachable, the website provides an enhanced user experience with a brighter and more inviting design. It boasts colorful illustration, animation, photos and videos to reflect the hope and growth happening every day at the centers and gives visitors a better picture of the life-changing work being carried out alongside a generous community of donors and volunteers.
The website’s improved layout streamlines navigation and simplifies the donation experience to ensure donors have a positive online interaction with Chapman Partnership. It removes the additional steps and web page redirects that previously existed to donate, allowing the donation process to be easily completed all in one webpage. In addition to monetary donations, the website now features an interactive in-kind donations list that is updated with the items our residents need most, making it easier than ever to donate new or gently used items to Chapman Partnership.
The content on the website has been updated to include Chapman Partnership’s innovative, new resources and programs for residents. It features new information about the organization’s Youth Dorms and Social Enterprise Academy (SEA), debuting another brand-new video showcasing the unique workforce development programs now available to residents of all ages. Other informative content available on the website includes:
To support Chapman Partnership and its homeless residents, please share a link to the website on social media and tag Chapman Partnership. chapmanpartnership.org
Despite the challenges facing homeless residents at Chapman Partnership, hope lives at our centers, in our residents, and throughout our Chapman Village every day.
Recent high school graduate, Nia Renee Nelson, is an extraordinary representation of this hope that drives our mission to empower residents to reach their full potential. The eldest of five children, 17-year-old Nia kept a secret from her friends, classmates and teachers - she was homeless. Sleeping on the streets of Miami with her family, she finally found the courage to speak up about her family’s struggles.
Nia and her family began their journey to self-sufficiency nearly a year ago, being welcomed to Chapman Partnership with a private family dorm, three hot meals a day and countless programs and resources. Through these difficult changes, Nia never looked for excuses when it came to her education, taking both Honors and AP classes at iPrep Academy.
Her hard work didn’t stop at school. Nia is also a graduate of Chapman Partnership’s Young Adult Career Academy (YACA) internship program. Through YACA, Nia and other teens and young adults learned a combination of soft and hard job skills through paid work experience coordinated by our centers.
Nia graduated high school this year with an impressive 3.9 GPA, despite the challenges of homelessness and the newly added distance learning brought on by the pandemic. As the first person in her family to go to college, Nia was accepted into Florida International University and was awarded a full, four-year scholarship. She plans to dedicate her life to helping others by becoming a nurse practitioner and then a pediatrician.
Nia recently celebrated her accomplishments alongside other high school and YACA graduates at Chapman Partnership. In an intimate and socially distanced gathering, President and CEO, Symeria T. Hudson with VIP guests Superintendent Alberto Carvalho of Miami-Dade County Public Schools and Ron Book, Chair of the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust, celebrated the Class of 2020.
Nia’s story of resilience is the reason our Chapman Village community of supporters remains dedicated to empowering our residents. The generosity of our donors makes an impact on the lives of residents like Nia who depend on the nationally-recognized programs at our centers to build a better future. To make a meaningful difference in the lives of our homeless residents, we invite you to join our strong Chapman VIllage by donating at chapmanpartnership.org/supportfromhome .
The inspiring story behind Nia’s success garnered national attention, being told on NBC's Sunday-Today with Willie Geist. Click the video below to watch Nia’s interview.
Published on: Community Newspapers
By: Gaby Suarez
Click Here to View the Original Article
More than 100 high school and college students from around Miami-Dade County will receive hands-on experience in banking and finance at the 10th annual Future Bankers Camp with the support of more than two dozen banks and local institutions.
The innovative four-week camp provides hands-on experience for students interested in a career in financial services. The camp gives students opportunities to enhance their proficiency in math and in their communication and financial literacy skills, while completing a bank internship and receiving industry certification.
The camp is hosted by The Center for Financial Training and Miami Dade College with the help of partners such as the Chapman Partnership, Women of Tomorrow and several other local institutions. A total of 23 banks and credit unions are participating, along with the Florida International Bankers Association (FIBA).
Click Here to read the rest of the article!
Published on: PRWeb
By: MIAMI Assocation of REALTORS
Click Here to View the Original Article
MIAMI, FL (PRWEB) JUNE 06, 2017
More than 70 MIAMI Association of REALTORS® (MIAMI) members and peers will help feed dinner to 500 homeless residents on Tuesday, June 13 at the Chapman Partnership’s Downtown Miami Homeless Assistance Center.
“Chapman Partnership serves 5,000 homeless men, women and children each year,” said Coral Gables Realtor Christopher Zoller, the 2017 MIAMI Chairman of the Board. “This is a heartbreaking number as homelessness impacts every aspect of life. As Realtors, we are the heart of the community and we have a responsibility to give back. We hope our volunteerism will in some small way ease the plight of the homeless and inspire others to support the Chapman Partnership.”
The Chapman Partnership — which runs homeless assistance centers in Downtown Miami and Homestead — empowers the homeless population through access to care, a nurturing environment, life-skills training and more.
Chapman Partnership has a 64 percent success rate of empowering people from homelessness to self-sufficiency. Since 1995, the partnership has had more than 105,000 admissions, including 21,000 children in Miami-Dade County.
The MIAMI Realtors’ Dinner for the Homeless will begin with a tour of the Chapman Partnership’s Downtown Miami Homeless Assistance Center at 1550 North Miami Ave. The Realtors will then help in handing out the dinner, held from 5-7 p.m.
To learn more about the event, visit: http://www.MiamiRealtors.com/FeedtheHomeless
Click Here to read the rest of the article.
MIAMI, FL (Feb. 13, 2017) – Seniors 55+ and residents with disabilities at Chapman Partnership will receive augmented transportation assistance through the federally-funded Section 5310 program, awarding Chapman Partnership a 2016, 12-passenger Ford Van fully equipped with a wheelchair lift and three wheelchair securement devices.
The Federal Transit Administration’s Section 5310 program provides forumla funding to states for the purpose of assisting private nonprofit groups in meeting the transportation needs of older adults and people with disabilities. The van will assist in addressing transportation barriers experienced by Chapman Partnership residents when attempting to access health care, education, employment, or other life-sustaining activities.
“This is the 3rd van delivered in the state of Florida, and the first van that has the smart floor system for increased flexibility and convenience,” said Les Burres, transit and commercial sales from Creative Bus Sales, Inc., an organization who works with the Federal Transit Administration on building the customized vans. “People will get around town in a safe manner.”
During fiscal year 2015-16, ending September 30th, nearly 750 persons experiencing homelessness aged 55 and older resided at one of Chapman Partnership’s two Homeless Assistance Centers, representing 20% of the total population served. From FY 2014-15 to 2015-16, the 55 and older population grew by 4%. Currently, 30% of Chapman Partnership’s residents have a physical disability impairing mobility.
With the dearth of low-income housing in Miami-Dade County, outplacement options for elderly and/or disabled individuals remains a challenge. Within this subset of the population served, coupled with many of these individuals experiencing immigration issues, outplacement options are nearly nonexistence as they are not eligible for the Social Security Administration’s Supplemental Security Income (SSI) – the primary funding source for adults with disabilities and the elderly. The result, longer lengths of stay, with a good percentage of these individuals residing within our community’s Homeless Continuum of Care 12 months or more.
Tony Williams, 61, born in Jamaica and an immigrant from the island, has lived at Chapman Partnership for 14 months. Formerly a drummer with Bob Marley, Williams suffers from Traumatic Brain Injury and has no recollection of his past. His immigration problems resulted in his return to Chapman Partnership after SSI benefits were recinded and he was forced to leave the Assisted Living Facility he called home.
The new van was specifically designed to meet the transportation needs of residents like Williams.
“We are very grateful to Creative Bus Services and the Federal Transit Administration for giving us the opportunity to provide our residents, specifically our elderly and disabled residents enhanced services,” said H. Daniel Vincent, President and CEO of the Chapman Partnership. “With support of these organizations we are able to give our residents the support they need to overcome many obstacles and continue to work their way toward self-sufficiency.”
Chapman Partnership operates two Homeless Assistance Centers with 800 beds located in Miami and Homestead. Collectively these two Centers serve approximately 4,000 men, women and families with children annually. Since 1995, Chapman Partnership has had more than 105,500 admissions including 25,000 children in Miami-Dade County and a 64% success rate of moving people who complete the program from homelessness to self-sufficiency.
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About Chapman Partnership:
Since 1995, Chapman Partnership has had more than 105,500 admissions including 25,000 children in Miami-Dade County and a 64% success rate of moving homeless men, women and families who complete the program to self-sufficiency. Chapman Partnership operates two Homeless Assistance Centers with 800 nightly beds located in Miami and Homestead. We help the homeless by providing a comprehensive support program that includes emergency housing, meals, health, dental and psychiatric care, day care, job training, job placement and assistance with securing stable housing. At Chapman Partnership we empower homeless men, women and children to build a positive future by providing the resources and assistance critical to growth and independence. Chapman Partnership is the private sector partner of the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust. This public-private partnership is a national model and best practice for homeless services.
Published on: Miami Herald
By: Kyra Gurney
Click Here to View the Original Article
One month into his senior year of high school, Terrence Nickerson found himself homeless and alone.
CHARLES TRAINOR JR ctrainor@miamiherald.com
He had been kicked out of his step-father’s house after an argument and had no money, no nearby family and nowhere to go. After crashing with friends for a month, Nickerson wound up at a homeless shelter in downtown Miami, in a large dormitory where 100 men slept in wall-to-wall bunk beds. For the first week he was there, Nickerson walked from the Chapman Partnership shelter on North Miami Avenue to Miami Jackson Senior High School in Allapattah — over an hour each way.
It would have been enough to demoralize anyone, especially a teenager with no family to rely on. But Nickerson was able to tap into a network of support at the shelter, at his high school and through Project UP-START, an office in the Miami-Dade school district that supports homeless students. He got transportation to school so he could keep going to Miami Jackson and help to apply for college, earning a scholarship and taking advantage of state tuition waivers for homeless and foster youth to attend Florida International University, where he is now a freshman.
“Being at the shelter, it changed my whole mindset,” said Nickerson, who is now 19. “I felt pretty supported mainly.”
Nickerson now lives in the FIU dorms, but last school year he was one of more than 6,000 students in Miami-Dade without a stable place to live. That includes students who sleep in homeless shelters, on the street, in a car, in a hotel room or squeezed into someone else’s home — known as “doubling up.” In the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles, many homeless students like Nickerson are succeeding in school and finding a brighter future, thanks in part to the support of programs like Project UP-START in the school district and similar initiatives at FIU and Miami Dade College, which help homeless students take care of basic needs so they can focus on doing well in school.
“We provide a sense of support for the kids and families going through this to explain to them that they’re not alone,” said Debra Albo-Steiger, Project UP-START’s program manager. “One of the hardest parts about this situation is that you feel so alone and you don’t want to tell anyone.”
Project UP-START was created in 1992 and has grown considerably in recent years, helping students enroll in school, get signed up for free lunch, and find transportation so they can keep going to the same school, which can be a challenge for families moving from one end of the county to the other in search of shelter. Project UP-START also has a store at Lindsey Hopkins Technical College where homeless families can get clothing, shoes, toiletries and food — all of it free.
It’s a program that is near and dear to the heart of Miami-Dade Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, in part because he was homeless as a young man.
“It’s very personal for me,” said Carvalho. “I remember the feeling of the cold concrete as your mattress and the stars as your blanket as well, and I know what it’s like to feel that constant rumbling in my stomach. There is no reason as to why we should accept any child in Miami or for that matter in America to feel that way.”
Although the official figure puts the number of homeless students at 6,129 for the 2015-16 school year, the most recent period for which the figure is available, Albo-Steiger believes the actual number is closer to 10,000, because students living doubled-up with friends or family are often too embarrassed to tell school staff. A crucial part of Project UP-START’s work is training school staff to identify students whose families lack permanent shelter so they can take advantage of support services.
“Rental prices in Miami-Dade County have skyrocketed, so we have a lot of families who are working, especially with single mothers, but who can’t get the money for the deposit and first and last month’s rent,” Albo-Steiger said.
The most vulnerable students, however, are often the ones like Nickerson who find themselves homeless without their parents. These are students who may have gotten kicked out of their homes because of a fight with family members or who may be running from abuse. Some of these young people end up at Miami Bridge Youth & Family Services, an emergency shelter with two locations in Miami-Dade that provides temporary refuge for children who have been trafficked, who are between foster care placements, or who need a temporary reprieve from a volatile family situation, in addition to homeless youth.
Miami Bridge has schools on site at both of its locations so students don’t lose any class time while waiting to return to their families or find more permanent housing.
Kris Pullock had to leave his home at the age of 17 and ended up at Miami Bridge in August, where he stayed until turning 18 in early November. Before going to the shelter, Kris said he skipped class frequently, but having a school just steps away from where he was living helped him stay on track.
“I was getting in trouble doing stuff I was not supposed to do,” Pullock said in September. “Here I’m more focused, there are less distractions.”
The Miami Bridge school is staffed by teachers from the school district, who provide each student with assignments based on his or her grade level. “The teacher is more available to help and I take it more serious,” said Pullock, whose plan now that he is 18 is to go to Job Corps, an adult learning center where he can get his GED and study a trade. “I’m on the right path,” he said.
Dorcas Wilcox, the CEO of Miami Bridge, said she sees many students who might not have been successful in traditional schools flourish with fewer distractions at the on-site school.
“They may kick and scream when they first get here, but then they’re excited to come and show me their report cards,” she said.
Many of the students at Miami Bridge have experienced trauma in their lives and Wilcox said she is impressed by the resilience of the teens, who often keep in touch long after they’ve left the shelter.
“The stories that they have, and to watch them overcome, I just feel like a proud mom,” Wilcox said. “We just show them love and attention. You’d be surprised by how far that goes.”
*Impact numbers are updated at the beginning of each fiscal year and will be updated annually.
As the private sector partner of the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust, Chapman Partnership is another step in the continuum of care. Any person or family who is homeless, about to be homeless, or assisting someone facing homelessness, and requiring emergency assistance must first contact the Homeless Helpline administered by the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust. Homeless Helpline Toll Free Number: 1-877-994-HELP (4357).
