Coalition celebrates three decades of achievement on April 5
Communications Admin • March 25, 2013
On April 5 at 11:45 a.m. the staff, Board of Directors both present and past, homeless service providers, supporters and friends of the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston and Harris County will gather at the Doubletree by Hilton Houston Downtown to celebrate Three Decades of Achievement. The mission of the Coalition for the Homeless is to lead in the development and implementation of community strategies to prevent and end homelessness in the greater Houston area.
Coalition friend and ABC-TV Channel 13 anchor Melanie Lawson will emcee the lunch. Lawson’s father, Rev. William Lawson, was one of the co-founders of the Coalition along with Archbishop Joseph Fiorenza, Rabbi Samuel Karff, Mayor Kathy Whitmire and County Judge Jon Lindsay. Speakers at the Three Decades luncheon include: Robert M. Eury, President of Central Houston Inc. sharing the Coalition’s history; Stephen L. Williams, Coalition Board Chair presenting the 2013 Friends of the Homeless Awards; and Mayor Annise Parker providing the keynote address sharing her personal connection to homelessness. Marilyn L. Brown, Coalition President & CEO, will conclude the luncheon program with the release of the results of the 2013 Point-in-Time Homeless Count.
The Friends of the Homeless Award Honorees to be recognized at the event include: Achiever of the Year — Shane Schlemeyer and Twaunette Sharpe; Business/Corporation — Bank of America; Foundation – The Frees Foundation; Peg Dudar Individual Advocate – Mayor Annise D. Parker; Media Outlet/Journalist – Lisa Falkenberg, The Houston Chronicle; Sally Shipman Service Provider Staff – Eva Thibaudeau-Graczyk, SEARCH Homeless Services.
Sponsors and partners involved in Three Decades of Achievement include: Marilyn L. Brown; The Frees Foundation; Harris County Department of Education; Diane and Tim Horan; The Lee Group; Martha and Aris Macris; Kimberly Sterling/Sterling Associates; Ashley and Thomas J. N. Verhagen; Housing for Houston Housing Authority; New Hope Housing; and Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church
The Three Decades of Achievement Host Committee members include: David Benson, Council Member Ellen Cohen, Ira C. Colby, Clara B. Cooper, Travis Courville, Renee D. Cross, Cathy Crouch, Shelly Cypress, Stephan Fairfield, Nancy Frees Fountain, Tory Gunsolley, Celes Harris, Cathy Henderson, Donna J. Herron, Tim Horan, Frances Isbell, Brenda Kirk, Lynn Lohr, Martha Macris, Linda K. May, Dennis W. Nelson, Charles J. O’Connell, Timothy N. Oettmeier, Gordon J. Quan, Pastor Rudy Rasmus, Gayla Rawlinson, Steven B. Schnee, Ph.D., Robert Sohns, Clarissa Stephens, Kimberly Sterling, Thomas J.N. Verhagen and Stephen L. Williams.
Tickets for the event are available online or by contacting Jeff Sokoloff, Coalition Director of Development, at 832-531-6005.
The Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County was established in 1982, incorporated as a 501(c)(3) in 1988, and has evolved to be the lead agency coordinating the community response to homelessness in Houston. Under the Homeless Emergency Assistance and Rapid Transition to Housing (HEARTH) Act, passed in 2009, an entire community rather than individual service providers must demonstrate success in preventing and reducing homelessness. In 2011, HUD named Houston as a priority community. This designation recognizes the great need to transform Houston’s existing homeless service system and the tremendous opportunity to make significant advances due to the commitment of homeless service providers and key community stakeholders, including both private and public contributors.
Houston, Texas (February 24, 2026) – This week, the nonprofit Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County (CFTH) is leading the annual Point-in-Time Homeless Count & Survey (“PIT Count”) to determine the number of people experiencing homelessness across Houston and throughout Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery counties. “We may see a slight uptick in the number this year, but we have a plan,” said Kelly Young, President & CEO of CFTH. “With the support of the City of Houston, Harris County, and private funders, we have been piloting new interventions to shorten the length of time people in our region experience homelessness. With adequate funding, we look forward to expanding those interventions to help people regain lives of self-determination.” CFTH coordinates the Houston region’s public-private homeless response system, The Way Home . Through this collaboration, The Way Home partners have successfully housed over 36,000 people since 2012. CFTH will release the results of Houston’s 2026 PIT Count in the summer, following independent verification by an epidemiologist. These findings will provide insight into how factors such as increases in the cost of living and the end of federal pandemic relief funding have impacted homelessness in our region. More information about the 2026 Point-in-Time Homeless Count & Survey The PIT Count offers a snapshot of how many people are experiencing homelessness in our region on a single night. This year, the “night of record” is Monday, Feb. 23. CFTH determines the number of people staying in shelters on that night by pulling records electronically from the Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) . The unsheltered count will be conducted on the following days, from Tuesday, Feb. 24 to Thursday, Feb. 26. More than 400 volunteers and staff of local nonprofit service provider partners will canvass the three-county region to survey people living unsheltered, using an app on their mobile devices. Results from the 2026 PIT Count will help gauge the progress of The Way Home’s ongoing collaborative efforts. It will also help CFTH and partner homeless outreach teams understand geographic shifts and target their outreach throughout the year. The PIT Count illuminates specific programmatic gaps and provides additional information needed to allocate resources most efficiently. The PIT Count is a requirement of the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) for the annual Continuum of Care (CoC) funding process. HUD furnishes the majority of funding for programs that provide housing and supportive services to people experiencing homelessness in the region. In 2024, HUD granted more than $71 million to the Houston area.
As lead agency to The Way Home Continuum of Care (CoC), CFTH is working with local governmental entities to advocate on behalf of people experiencing homelessness to ensure their needs are being considered as winter weather affects our region. We will make frequent updates as we receive information. Please check back often for the latest information. Last updated 02/01/2026 at 12:00 p.m.
While our system has helped thousands of people move from homelessness to housing, this year’s results highlight the need to broaden our approach.
