This episode of The Nonprofit Report highlights The Lord’s Place, a Palm Beach County nonprofit dedicated to housing and human dignity through holistic, community-driven approaches.
Guests:
Kerry Diaz, Interim CEO
Calvin Phillips, Vice President of Housing Services
Cornie Thornburg, Chair of the Board of Directors
Interview by: Mark Oppenheim
Key Points:
- The Lord’s Place mission centers on breaking the cycle of homelessness through housing, outreach, employment, and care services in the region of Palm Beach County. The organization is nonsectarian despite its faith-inspired name and serves people of all backgrounds.
- The organization addresses invisible homelessness—people living in cars, public shelters, or without access to services.
- The Lord’s Place operates over 15 housing programs and 47 scattered sites, serving 275+ people nightly.
- Programs include Joshua’s Café, Operation Home Ready, reentry services, employment development, and mental health care.
- Diversion and prevention strategies, like rent assistance, aim to stop homelessness before it starts.
- Affordable housing is important for long-term solutions to homelessness.
Other Points on The Lord’s Place:
The Lord’s Place serves people others often overlook, and its approach starts with respect and trust. By engaging people where they are—on the streets, in shelters, or in crisis—the organization helps them navigate back toward stability. Housing is tailored to individual needs, including family housing, reentry programs, and supportive housing for those exiting forensic institutions.
The Lord’s Place was founded by Brother Joe Ranieri, whose brother died unhoused. He began by opening a soup kitchen, sleeping in solidarity on church steps and in dumpsters to raise funds and awareness. That spark has grown into a network of campuses and housing initiatives unified by compassion and accountability.
Breaking the cycle of homelessness means seeing each person’s full humanity and helping them reclaim agency. From Joshua’s Café to workforce training and mental health support, the Lord’s Place integrates wraparound services with housing-first principles. Volunteers and donors are invited to meet clients face-to-face and witness their transformation.
The Lord’s Place proves that homelessness is not inevitable—it is solvable when communities invest in dignity, prevention, and collective action.