Bryce Johnson
Tom Ruthardt, CEO of Broward Partnership, said the non-profit organization is committed to helping people find housing.
“We take people directly from the streets, get them into shelter and then move them into housing. Our vision statement is ‘safe and stable housing for all,’” Ruthardt said.
“That’s our primary focus, is getting people into safe and stable housing.”
Broward Partnership helps homeless people find housing and jobs in the community. Originally started in 1999, Ruthardt said Broward Partnership has touched more than 35,000 lives since then. It opened an affordable housing development in Fort Lauderdale, Seven on Seventh, in 2023.
Ruthardt lives in Wilton Manors with his husband, Robert, and four cats. Before Broward Partnership, he volunteered at Camillus House, an organization that also helps homeless people. Ruthardt said Broward Partnership helps any homeless person in need.
“Homelessness can happen to any one of us. There’s a lot of people out there that are a couple of paychecks away from homelessness, or maybe they’re one catastrophic health concern away from homelessness,” Ruthardt said. “We’ve had people of all levels. We’ve had PhDs, we’ve had Olympic athletes, we’ve had university professors, we’ve had licensed nurses.”
When fully staffed, there are 125 people working at Broward Partnership. Each of Broward Partnership’s clients have case managers to help them with housing or health issues. Ruthardt said it sets a powerful example of a healthy workplace, even when the work can be difficult.
“Our existence helps strengthen public health. We strengthen public safety. We work towards economic efficiency here in Broward County. We reduce the strain on hospital emergency rooms, on the jails, on law enforcement, and it’s because we treat homelessness like a health and social issue, and not like a law enforcement issue,” Ruthardt said.
In the future, Broward Partnership plans to open another housing development in Pompano Beach. It’s also looking to open more throughout Broward County.
“We recognize, especially here in South Florida, that affordable housing is the solution to homelessness. All the other support services, we can talk about, but having someplace that’s affordable for everybody is the solution to homelessness,” Ruthardt said.
Broward Partnership also regularly holds fundraising events, such as Chefs Helping the Homeless on Sept. 27, 2025, which takes guests to a surprise restaurant in a limousine, and Breakfast for Champions on Dec 5, 2025, where guests can eat breakfast and network with the community.
Ruthardt said there are many ways to volunteer with Broward Partnership, including Breaking Bread, Breaking Barriers, where volunteers can serve meals to Broward Partnership’s clients.
“Most people don’t know what we do. It’s kind of behind the scenes, and the more we can get out there and the more we can let people know the good work that we’re doing here and why it’s so important to the community, the better,” Ruthardt said.
