Partners For the Homeless : Partners

Partners for the Homeless, nationally recognized for excellence in addressing homelessness, is a public-private partnership established in November 1995 as an initiative of the Memphis Grantmakers Forum to unify public and private efforts to address the issue of homelessness in Memphis and Shelby County.

Partners links planners, providers, data, and resources to develop a sensible system for ending homelessness. Primary activities include:

Coordination/development/facilitation of the community's annual collaborative application to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that since 1995 has secured $38 million in “Continuum of Care” funding for local programs for homeless people;
Provision of administrative support and guidance to the Memphis and Shelby County Mayors’ Task Force on Homelessness;
Documentation of the dimensions, demographics, and dynamics of homelessness in Memphis/Shelby County and identification of resources to help meet those needs;
Administration of the system-wide Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) and the Community Voice Mail program;
Proactive coordination and development of new programs and initiatives to help fill identified gaps in the system of services and housing, including provision of technical assistance to newly emerging providers of services;
Acting as a catalyst to synchronize local, state and regional planning, integrate mainstream programs with homelessness-specific programs, and develop more effective discharge/transition policies.