Farewell to our VP of Strategic Planning & Public Affairs

Jessica Preheim to transition out this summer

Jessica first joined CFTH in February of 2020. As vice president, Jessica has overseen the work to develop and coordinate strategic responses to homelessness across our local homeless response system, The Way Home. She has also helped to strengthen our system’s relationships with service agencies and government partners.

Jess will be leaving CFTH to move into consulting, working with other communities to help them replicate Houston's success. She will stay on part-time through the end of August.

During her time at CFTH, Jessica was involved in the planning and implementation several new and innovative programs including the Community Covid Housing Program (CCHP), which allowed us to use temporary COVID relief dollars to fund permanent housing, and the Youth Homeless Demonstration Program (YHDP), which has measurably increased and improved the accessibility of resources in our system for youth and young adults.

With over 20 years of experience, Jessica’s skills in strategy and expertise in homelessness have been invaluable.

“Over fourteen years ago, I made the journey to Houston to work on homelessness, which has turned out to be the best decision of my life,” said Jessica. “I’ve been privileged to learn from and grow with Houston leaders and, most importantly, go home every night knowing that what we do matters. I will always be a champion of the work Houston has done to house our unhoused neighbors.”

“Jessica’s departure from CFTH marks the end of a remarkable chapter,” said Kelly Young, President & CEO. “Her strategic vision and compassionate leadership have been invaluable to us. While we'll miss her deeply, we celebrate her next steps and remain grateful for her lasting influence on our organization.”

We thank her for the significant contributions she has made and wish her all the best in her career!

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CFTH Leads 2026 PIT Count of People Experiencing Homelessness

By Catherine Villarreal • February 24, 2026

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.

Preparing for a Winter Storm

By Catherine Villarreal • January 21, 2026

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.