Biographic Sketch

In February of 1992 Simone Hennessee became the Executive Director of Providence House with three employees, little money, and no program.  Today Providence House is the largest transitional shelter for homeless families with children in the State of Louisiana serving approximately 50 families daily with a staff of 40 employees and a budget of $1,600,000.  In 2002, Providence House completed construction on an Education Center that expanded its current education program and provided an opportunity to serve other homeless families in the area by expanding its child development center to 24-hours and increasing capacity to 39 children.   In 2003, Simone raised funds to renovate the historic Providence House building, a $1.9 million project which was completed in October 2004.    

The goal of Providence House is to break the cycle of homelessness by providing comprehensive support services to improve the family structure and move the family into independent living.  Implemented in July 1993, our program to break the cycle of homelessness was a first in the state of Louisiana.  One hundred seventy-five (175) families that include 193 adults and 383 children have graduated from the program with a continued success rate of 95% since 1994.  For those families who did not graduate fewer than 10% have returned, leading us to conclude that even though many do not complete the program, they are gaining enough skills to live successfully.  Of the 10% that did return, 50% graduated.   In 1996 Simone was nominated and a finalist for Blue Cross Blue Shield’s Angel Award for her work with children.  In June 1997, the Providence House Program was named one of HUD’s “Best Practices” and was showcased in a video presentation at HUD’s Best Practices Symposium in Houston.  In December 1997 Providence House was nominated by the City of Shreveport for  Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government Award for “Innovative Programs”.  The Rotary Club’s Jean Harris Award was presented to Simone in 2000 for her work to improve the community.  In 2001 Providence House’s supportive housing program to break the cycle of homelessness was again nominated by the Shreveport HUD office and the State of Louisiana DSS Director of Homeless Programs and was awarded as a “HUD Best Practice” in the nation.

Simone is a member and past president of the Shreveport-Bossier Homeless Coalition and a member and past president of the FEMA board, a member of Shreveport-Bossier Service Connection, the Private Industry Council, Louisiana Association of Non-profit Organizations, United Way and the Fair Housing Task Force.  She was appointed to the Louisiana Interaction Agency Council for the Homeless in 1994 and is a Gratis Adjunct Professor of the American Humanics Program (a program developing leadership for non-profit organizations) in the College of Liberal Arts, Louisiana State University, Shreveport (LSU-S).

Simone was instrumental in leading the welfare to work initiative in Shreveport/Bossier to develop a continuum of care to ensure the successful transition of welfare recipients to the work place and, in 2000, led a Summit on Children in Poverty at LSU-S.  In December 2001 Simone was named as one of 10 Leaders for the Next Century by the local newspaper “The Times” and, in February 2002, Simone received the Pete Harris Unity Award for her humanitarian work in the community by National Conference of Community and Justice (NCCJ).  Simone was invited and attended Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government’s “Leaders for the 21st Century Conflict, Chaos & Courage,” a week’s study with 60 leaders from government, non-profits and businesses around the world in April 2002.   In 2003 she was presented the Volunteers for Youth Justice Ron Anderson “Champion for Children” Award and received the Athena Award from the Women’s Business Council of the Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce.