G. Scott Hansel
President and CEO, Chapman Partnership
whole family together, and not split them
up”
Gables resident G. Scott Hansel began his career in the health care sector with an MBA and training as a pharmacist, working in drug packaging and senior health care. Originally from Kentucky, he ran the Palm Beach County nonprofit Community Partners of South Florida for five years before being recruited to run Miami-Dade’s Chapman Partnership in 2023. As Chapman’s president and CEO, he has led the charge to reduce homelessness in Miami-Dade – now standing at just over 1,000 people on the streets. With two facilities, one in Miami and one in Homestead, the Chapman Partnership takes in individuals and entire families, stabilizes their lives, then finds housing and employment for them. Their biggest challenges are fundraising and finding affordable housing; for employment, the partnership (founded by former Miami Herald publisher Alva Chapman) works with the Miami-Dade Homeless Trust, Miami-Dade Public Schools, Miami Dade College, and CVS to qualify and train their clients.
Latest Achievement
Hansel is proud of the Partnership’s efforts in the last fiscal year (ended Oct. 1), which resulted in 2,000 individuals moving into permanent housing, and 500 clients finding full-time employment. He is also proud of the Partnership’s recent record (now celebrating its 30th anniversary) to help stabilize homelessness in Miami-Dade, which has remained constant while it has increased 20 percent nationwide over the last year. He has also added education programs (including tutors for kids) at the Partnership facilities and is launching a book donation and author reading program this month with the Books & Books Literary Foundation.
What He Says
“There are lots of reasons why people end up homeless, but the solutions are complex as well,” says Hansel. “When you think of the typical homeless person, you think of a street person with mental health issues. Most of those people don’t want to come into a shelter because it involves work and commitment.… [At Chapman’s facilities, there] are people who had jobs and were working but their rent went up to the point where they were evicted and had to live in their cars…. We are the only shelter that will keep a whole family together, and not split them up… almost half the people here are children.”
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