As part of the Health Care for the Homeless Project, the Mary Howard Health Center, a comprehensive primary health care center for homeless people, opened on February 25, 1997 with support from Philadelphia's Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), the Independence Foundation, and other public and private funders. The Mary Howard Health Center is the only nurse-managed health center specifically for homeless people. It is based on the premise that comprehensive, continuous health care of homeless people is achievable. This level of care is possible because of the unique "community" developed over the past fifteen years by the Health Care for the Homeless Project and many other providers working in partnership with homeless people.