Privately funded collaborative project will kick off this fall and take a deeper look into the needs of families, veterans, and others facing homelessnessto identify resources and solutions

ORLANDO, Fla. -- (Business Wire)

Homelessness rates for children, families and the disabled have recently increased in Florida. To help create lasting solutions to address chronic and temporary homelessness across all affected groups, a new public-private collaboration is kicking off this fall.

Working with experts across the state, JPMorgan Chase is funding an innovative study that will get a complete picture of homelessness in Florida and inform strategies to help prevent it. The work will be led by Barbara Poppe, former executive director of the United States Interagency Council on Homelessness, and a national authority on the subject of homelessness and the models needed to address it.

The Central Florida Commission on Homelessness also will collaborate on the effort.

“Every family, every individual that is experiencing homelessness needs our help and the more we know about them, the better prepared we are to help them find a place to live, a job, and a way to get back on their feet permanently and productively,” said Sen. Mel Martinez, chairman for JPMorgan Chase in Florida.

The effort is supported by state officials and Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, and Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs. All are aligning forces to generate increased public awareness of the issue in their respective cities.

“Solving complex challenges such as addressing homelessness takes a comprehensive solution,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “This project will allow our regional efforts to benefit from a statewide perspective resulting in better coordination and modeling of successful programs from cities across the state.”

According to the group, fixing this issue will contribute to a stronger economy and relieve pressure on the healthcare system, law enforcement and local resources, such as substance abuse programs.

“We welcome this strategic, evidence-based approach to helping homeless families and individuals,” said Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown. “Public-private partnerships are a key part of the solution. This study provides the opportunity to enable our cities to find more solutions to end homelessness.”

In Central Florida, where the rate of chronic and family homelessness rank among the highest in the state, the effort also will complement initiatives from Mayor Dyer, and Mayor Jacobs, who each have committed resources and significant investments to address the issue locally.

“Orange County is deeply grateful for the study that JPMorgan is undertaking, as well as the broad spectrum of their focus, including the chronically homeless, our children, families and veterans,” said Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs. “Orange County looks forward to sharing our data, as well as outcomes from our ongoing efforts.”

Through the study, experts in homelessness across the state and nationwide will investigate the personal and community situations that lead to homelessness.

“As mayors across Florida are aware, homelessness is not a unique problem to Tampa or Hillsborough County. We need to model what we do based on what other cities do right, and this study will give us those solutions,” said Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn. “I appreciate JPMorgan Chase as well as Ms. Poppe’s commitment to working with mayors and other community leaders to tackle this issue.”

In its 2014 report, the Council on Homelessness found that families with children are the most rapidly growing homeless population in the state. Furthermore, the report concluded that current research methods are not sufficient to provide the in-depth data needed to effectively identify and address the issues that are contributing to homelessness.

“This collaborative analysis will greatly help us plan and develop permanent solutions, and learn how we can prevent anyone from being out on the street. The more we know about the economic, health and personal situations that lead to people being displaced, the more we can plan to stop it before it happens, and act quickly to help solve it,” said Erik Braun, director of the Office on Homelessness, from the Florida Department of Children and Families.

Current research methods rely heavily on volunteer support and are impacted by variables such as weather that may result in misleading counts.

The findings of the study will guide the creation of programs and strategies that inform policy-making, and help structure prevention and intervention programs. Data is expected to be available early in 2015.

JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) is a leading global financial services firm with assets of $2.5 trillion and operations worldwide. The Firm is a leader in investment banking, financial services for consumers and small businesses, commercial banking, financial transaction processing, and asset management. A component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average, JPMorgan Chase & Co. serves millions of consumers in the United States and many of the world's most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients under its J.P. Morgan and Chase brands. Information about JPMorgan Chase & Co. is available at www.jpmorganchase.com.

.

Contacts:

JPMorgan Chase & Co.
Maribel Ferrer, 305-469-2810
Maribel.Ferrer@chase.com

Source: JPMorgan Chase & Co.