Nancy Heintz was recently named Montgomery County Project Manager for the Coalition for the Homeless.[/caption]

The Houston-based Coalition for the Homeless announced in October its expansion into Montgomery County as well as enhanced services in Fort Bend County as a part of its leadership to collaborative nonprofit The Way Home.

Montgomery County was recently absorbed by The Way Home, a program that aims to prevent and end homelessness in Houston, Pasadena, Conroe; and Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery counties. This service expansion will broaden the reach of the homeless services system.

“We’re excited to take what we’ve learned and executed through our efforts of reducing homelessness and provide leadership in expanding the work for our neighbors in Montgomery County” said Marilyn Brown, CEO and president of the Coalition for the Homeless. “Through service expansion into this region, our collective impact on the state of homelessness in the metro Houston area can grow exponentially.”

In May, the Coalition announced The Way Home continued its five-year trend of reducing homelessness, noting a one-year reduction of 21 percent since 2015 and a 57 percent cumulative reduction since 2011. At the time of the count, The Way Home encompassed Houston, Harris County, Pasadena, and Fort Bend County.

The Coalition hired Nancy Heintz as Montgomery County Project Manager. Heintz has worked for the First United Methodist Church in Conroe for over 30 years. She has held titles, such as director of children’s ministry and director of missions and community outreach. She has served on the board of the Montgomery County Homeless Coalition as well as Montgomery County Habitat for Humanity.

The coalition is also enhancing its efforts in Fort Bend County—an existing partner region of The Way Home—with the placement of Amber Paaso as Fort Bend County Project Manager. Paaso, who has a Masters in Women’s Studies, spent nearly a decade working for the Fort Bend County Women’s Center, first as a Learning Resource Coordinator and most recently as the Volunteer and Outreach Coordinator.

For more information about the Coalition for the Homeless, visit www.homelesshouston.org.