Staff Spotlight: Meet Sara Brown!
Communications Admin • October 23, 2018
By: Abbie Wright, Digital Content Coordinator
Sara Brown, Senior Manager of External Affairs and Special Projects with Coalition for the Homeless, started with the organization in 2013. Originally from the small town of Farmington, West Virginia, Sara moved to Houston in August of 2007 through a year-long volunteer program with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.
Abbie: Can you tell me a little about your background before starting at the Coalition?
Sara: I’m from a very tiny town in West Virginia, there’s only one stop sign and 300 people. I went to Wheeling Jesuit University in Wheeling, West Virginia where I graduated with a BA in History in 2007. I moved to Houston in August 2007 through a volunteer program with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps. It’s similar to AmeriCorps but with a spiritual twist to it. I applied to the southern region with hopes of getting placed in New Orleans originally. But when I got the placement list, an opportunity with Bering Omega Community Services (an HIV/AIDS service organization) in Houston spoke to me. So that’s where I ended up applying to and that’s how I ended up here!
Abbie: What is your role at the Coalition and what does the day-to-day look like for you?
Sara: I am the Senior Manager of External Affairs and Special Projects. Basically if it has to do with communications it runs through me and my team. Anything from external communication with partner agencies or the public, to internal communications and things like the website, newsletters, media inquiries, messaging, etc. The unique thing about my current position is the special projects part. When I first joined this organization, my role was two-fold as I was special assistant to the CEO, so part of my job then was communications and part was office administration. We realized we really needed two people for those jobs, so I shifted more to communications and we hired someone to help with office management. Now; however, I am back to helping on the administration side again in a different capacity, working on office operations, implementing systems, and making the office run more efficiently and effectively.
I really enjoy my job because it always keeps me busy and is challenging. I can utilize my creative side and have fun with the communications part of it. And I can also utilize my analytical side and be really logical with the special projects part. It’s nice to be able to feed both of those desires and you don’t always get that in a job.
Abbie: So what made you go into this line of work?
Sara: Honestly, my time spent at Wheeling Jesuit University made me realize I wanted more than just a job that paid the bills. They really focused on educating students for life. It was more than just an academic education because you learned how to be a person for other people. I wanted to do something I could be proud of, where I could look back and say I have tried to make this world a better place. And now I have been working in nonprofits for over 11 years.
Abbie: What would you say your favorite thing about working for the Coalition is?
Sara: I think my favorite thing, and it’s something I’ve been impressed by since I got here, is that no day is ever the same. I’m never bored here. And I don’t think I will ever get the chance to work at a place like this again. What we’ve accomplished as a community and the Coalition’s role in that is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing. Going from a system that was so segmented and broken, to where we are today is incredible. We all work together collaboratively now, with no challenge every being too big. We tackle some really complex issues and it’s been really cool to be a part of that transformation!
Abbie: What has been your favorite project to-date?
Sara: I would have to say being a part of creating both the original Action Plan for The Way Home and the new Action Plan update. I probably wouldn’t have named those as my favorites at the time they were being worked on, because they were massive and complex projects, but I am really proud of the finished projects because both of those plans encompass so much of the history and the amount of work we’ve been able to accomplish. That was also my first very large graphic design project and it was a sense of accomplishment having it look as clean and polished as it did at the end.
Abbie: What are your current hobbies outside of work?
Sara: I love to do New York Times crosswords, I do one every day. I also like to knit and crochet, I’m currently working on blanket. I spin in my free time as well and I’m a super huge fan of trashy reality TV. DVR-ing and catching up on my housewives is high on my priority list and helps me escape for just a little bit. I’ve also always been a big reader and re-reader of books; I read my favorite book “East of Eden” once a year, and I’ve read the Harry Potter series through at least 10 times – if not more!
Abbie: What is one fun fact about yourself?
Sara: Honestly, I’m a super huge nerd at heart. Not only was a mathlete from elementary school through high school, I was a die-hard ‘BOOK IT!’ kid through Pizza Hut back in the 1990s. I credit ‘BOOK IT!’ for fueling my love for reading and pizza so much that I now have a pizza tattoo!
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.
