Staff Spotlight: Meet Ana Rausch!
Communications Admin • July 9, 2018
By: Abbie Wright, Digital Content Coordinator
Ana Rausch, Senior Research Project Manager with the Coalition for the Homeless, has been with the organization for five years. Originally from Belém, Brazil, Ana was seven years old when she moved to Houston with her mom and brother. Ana attended the University of Houston where she studied psychology and has been working in the nonprofit sector for over 20 years.
Abbie: Can you tell me a little about your role at the Coalition and what it entails?
Ana: As the Senior Research Project Manager, I oversee the HMIS (Homeless Management Information System) department which includes things like making sure users are being helped as needed, data is being put in accurately, and tracking data to find trends in what we are doing. I also implemented and now manage The Way Home’s Coordinated Access system and lead the planning for the annual Homeless Count & Survey.
Abbie: What made you decide to go into this type of work?
Ana: I started in social services and then became more interested in homeless issues because it’s so hard to comprehend the complexity of it sometimes – trying to understand what happens and why someone becomes homeless. And I’ve always been interested in data and used it often in grant writing. Data can be really useful to tell a story.
Abbie: What kind of projects are you working on right now?
Ana: I am consistently working on ending chronic homelessness and am doing case consultations to make sure people aren’t falling through the cracks. I’m also leading the work to revise The Way Home’s vulnerability measurement tool, which assesses an individual or family experiencing homelessness and matches them to the best permanent housing program to end their homelessness. I lead that work with different workgroups made up of partner agency staff members, and our next step will be to pilot that tool.
Abbie: What would you say your favorite thing about the Coalition is?
Ana: I would have to say the partners and the people I work with. It is so great to be able to work closely with our partners and I’m proud of the fact that they trust the Coalition enough to know that we know what we are doing. I also really love interpreting HUD (US Department of Housing and Urban Development) regulations and being able to share that knowledge with others.
Abbie: What has been your favorite event/project to-date?
Ana: I have loved seeing The Way Home’s housing waitlist continue to go down. It is a proud feeling to see people get housed. I also love technology and am really proud that I was able to change our methodology for the Homeless Count from being done on paper to a digital format using new technology.
Abbie: What are your hobbies outside of work?
Ana: I really love running and have done a lot of 5ks, 10ks, half-marathons, and full marathons. I am also a Disney fanatic! I have done multiple Disney marathons and challenges. We are part of the Disney Vacation Club and go about twice a year. Besides running, I am a huge book worm. I am always reading a new book – right now, it’s “Shelter in Place,” by Nora Roberts.
Abbie: What is a fun fact about yourself?
Ana: I speak fluent Portuguese and speak it at home. My two kids are fluent in three languages: English, Spanish, and Portuguese. I also love big dogs! We have two at home: one is a Great Dane named Latté, and the other is a German Shepherd named Dexter.
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.
