Today we’d like to introduce you to Tom Ruthardt.
Hi Tom, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I moved to Miami Beach from Gainesville in October 1998, and at the time, a couple of close friends were working at Camillus House in Miami. One was their Grants Manager (my best friend), and the other coordinated Volunteers and Special Events. I’d never worked in the nonprofit sector, but I was inspired by the purpose and impact of their work and wanted to be part of something meaningful.
I began volunteering with Camillus at their 1998 Thanksgiving event and soon stepped into the role of Volunteers Coordinator when my friend moved to Chicago. My first day on the job was February 1, 1999, which I later learned was also the day Broward Partnership opened the Central Homeless Assistance Center in Fort Lauderdale.
While serving as Volunteer Coordinator, I wrote a successful grant proposal to the Corporation for National Community Service that funded Camillus’s Martin Luther King Day volunteer event in January 2000. That experience led me into grant writing and program development and eventually into the role of Grants Manager, where I gained a deep understanding of the nonprofit sector and discovered a passion for purpose-driven leadership.
After six formative years at Camillus House, I expanded my experience in the public sector, first as a Grant Writer for the City of Miami and later as a Grants Specialist at the School Board of Broward County. I then returned to the Camillus family at Camillus Health, where I held my first executive leadership role and ultimately served as Vice President of Programs and Operations.
Those experiences prepared me to join Broward Partnership for the Homeless as Chief Operating Officer in January 2016 and eventually step into my current role as Chief Executive Officer.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Like most career paths, mine hasn’t been entirely smooth, though I’ve been fortunate. One early challenge I experienced was related to my undergraduate degree. I earned my B.S. degree in Agriculture from the University of Florida, with a focus on microbiology and cell science, having initially planned to pursue dental school. Years later, despite extensive grant-writing experience, including work at the City of Miami, I was passed over for a municipal grant-writing position because my degree was not in business or a related field.
That rejection became a turning point and motivated me to continue my education. In 2010, I earned my MBA from Florida Atlantic University, strengthening both my credentials and my leadership foundation.
One of the most rewarding aspects of my time at Broward Partnership has been the continuity of leadership and values. The CEO who hired me as the COO, Fran Esposito, also came from Camillus House and opened the Central Homeless Assistance Center on the same day that I began my own career at Camillus. I even inherited Fran’s handwritten grant files, and the friend who first inspired me to join Camillus House had originally been hired by her.
In many ways, I grew up professionally within systems and practices Fran helped to build, making our eventual collaboration feel like a natural continuation of shared values and mission.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Broward Partnership exists to provide comprehensive solutions to homelessness by addressing both immediate needs and long-term stability. We operate Broward County’s Central and North Homeless Assistance Centers, using a centralized campus model that brings housing, health care, employment services, and behavioral health supports together in one place. We serve individuals and families from across Broward County and create clear pathways from homelessness to independence.
Broward Partnership is best known for our integrated approach. Housing is at the center of everything we do, but we also recognize that housing alone is not enough. Our work focuses on stabilizing health, building income, and restoring dignity, because lasting outcomes happen when people are supported as whole human beings.
What truly sets Broward Partnership apart is the depth of collaboration behind our model. Partnership is in our name for a reason! We work hand in hand with local governments, health care providers, employers, and community partners to align systems and resources in ways that are practical, efficient, and humane. We also operate with a strong sense of accountability, measuring outcomes and continuously refining our approach to ensure that our services translate into real progress for our clients. In recent years, that commitment has also led us into the affordable housing development space through a strategic co-development partnership with Green Mills Group. We play a key role in shaping projects that prioritize long-term affordability, supportive services, and resident dignity. This approach allows us to extend our impact beyond services and help create housing that supports lasting stability.
From a mission and brand standpoint, what I’m most proud of is our unwavering focus on dignity, belonging, and possibility. We’re intentional about creating an environment where people feel safe, respected, and seen, whether they’re a client, staff member, volunteer, or partner. That culture matters because it shapes trust and makes change possible.
An equally important point of pride for me is our intentional focus on staff well-being and leadership development. The work of ending homelessness is complex and emotionally demanding, and we believe that how we care for our team directly impacts how well we serve our clients. Over the past several years, Broward Partnership has invested deeply in Emotional Intelligence training for staff at every level of the organization. This work has strengthened communication, resilience, and trust across teams, while reinforcing a culture grounded in empathy, accountability, and belonging. For our executive leadership team, this commitment reflects a core belief that strong outcomes begin with healthy people, and that supporting staff growth is not optional, but absolutely essential to the success of our mission.
What I most want readers to understand is that homelessness isn’t a permanent condition, and it doesn’t define a person…or their future. Every individual who comes to Broward Partnership brings a unique story, shaped by different life experiences, challenges, and strengths. With the right supports, the right partnerships, and a shared commitment to compassion and responsibility, people can and do rebuild their lives in ways that are meaningful to them. We see this transformation every day, as individuals move from crisis to stability and begin to envision a future for themselves again. At Broward Partnership, we’re not simply managing a crisis. We’re creating personalized pathways to stability that honor each person’s journey and strengthen individuals, families, and the broader community.
Who else deserves credit in your story?
The success of Broward Partnership for the Homeless has always been the result of shared leadership and deep community commitment. I’m standing on the shoulders of the many people who believed in this mission long before I arrived and who helped shape both the organization and my own leadership journey.
First and foremost, Fran Esposito deserves extraordinary credit – a visionary leader whose impact on Broward Partnership cannot be overstated. She helped build the organization from its earliest days, led the opening of the Central Homeless Assistance Center, and spent more than two decades strengthening systems, partnerships, and outcomes across Broward County. When Fran hired me, it felt like a continuation of values and practices I’d grown up with professionally, and her mentorship shaped how I lead, how I think about accountability, and how I center dignity in this work.
Our founding Board members also deserve tremendous recognition. They had the foresight to create a collaborative, solutions-oriented organization at a time when homelessness was often addressed in fragmented ways. Several of those founding leaders continue to serve on the Board today, providing continuity, institutional knowledge, and a deep sense of stewardship. Their commitment to partnership, governance, and long-term thinking established the strong foundation that continues to guide us today, and that legacy of engaged, mission-driven Board leadership remains one of our greatest strengths.
I’m equally grateful to our staff, whose compassion, professionalism, and resilience make the mission real every day. This work is demanding, and our team shows up with heart, skill, and integrity for both our clients and one another. Our community partners, including local governments, health care providers, employers, funders, and advocates, have also been essential. Homelessness is a systems-level challenge, and progress only happens when people work together across sectors.
Ultimately, Broward Partnership’s growth reflects a shared belief that solutions are possible when leadership is collaborative, when people are treated with dignity, and when communities commit to doing the hard work together. That collective effort is what has sustained the organization for the last 27 years and continues to move it forward.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.bphi.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/browardpartnership/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BPHIworks/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/broward-partnership-for-the-homeless-inc-bphi-/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@browardpartnership815
Image Credits
Broward Partnership/ Downtown Photo
