This August we are resuming our Staff Spotlight blog feature and we are excited to introduce you to one of our outstanding team members, Yvette Fuentes! A Houston native, Yvette has been at the Coalition for seven years. She is a Program Analyst on our Homeless Management Information (HMIS) team meaning she does secondary research on HUD reporting and trend analyses. Yvette also reviews and updates data in real time, troubleshoots data issues with partner agency staff members, and provides recommendations for system improvements. 

Find out why Yvette loves working at the Coalition and what makes her Yvette!

Q: What made you want to work in the area of homelessness? 

A: I am a very compassionate person and since 1997 I’ve been privileged to work in the non-profit sector with 4 different agencies (United Way, DePelchin Children’s Center, Catholic Charities and now the Coalition!) each having a its own piece in homelessness prevention. Towards the end of working at my last job the trend was moving towards Rapid Re-housing and Coordinated Access so that and the fact that I had used HMIS since 2006 made for an easy transition to work at the Coalition. 

Q: What are some projects you are working on right now? 

A: Right now, I am working on Coordinated Access Supportive Service grants and preparing data for the upcoming Annual Performance Reports (APR)*. Typically, my work at the beginning of the month also includes running reports and troubleshooting any data issues that need to be corrected.

Q: What is the most inspiring part of your job? 

A: Hope is the most inspiring part of my job. Due to my role of being behind the data I rarely interact with clients (something I miss). Prior to the COVID pandemic, the Coalition coordinated a few Housing Events that I was able to assist with. While working those events I was able to witness clients being housed, view the excitement in their eyes and for those waiting on the call, see the hope in their eyes, which makes everything we do, worth it. 

Q: If you were a superhero, what would your superpower be? 

A: For me because I cook dinner every night my superpower would be to have dinner cooked every night. For the world, I’d want my superpower to be able to place peace in everyone’s heart. No matter the situation, I want everyone to be at peace. 

Q: Do you have any hobbies outside of work? 

A: I fish pretty much every weekend, so it is safe to say fishing is my hobby. I fish at a house on Tiki Beach which we are fortunate enough to use and even during the pandemic, are able to practice social distancing. 

Q: How has COVID impacted your life outside of work?

A: COVID has humbled me. Living so carefree, coming and going was the way I used to live. Now realizing my actions of being out don’t just impact me, but also my parents who I visit daily and my husband who has underlying health conditions. This was our first year being empty nesters and my son was living away from home at college. Then, he came home in March for Spring Break and never went back due to COVID. I was literally about to start counting down the days for him to go back, but I’ve come to realize that I don’t think I could have done COVID without him here.  

Q: What song best describes your life?

A: This is a tie between “Let it Go” by George Strait or “Here for a Good Time” also by George Strait. 

Q: Tell us one fun fact about yourself!

A: I seem to be the person who people give their pets to. Right now, I have 4 pets but my Great Dane Tre is the only one I went out and got. We are now lucky enough to have these additional fur babies:

• Gracie, a Great Dane whose family relocated and couldn’t take her with them
• Carol, my son’s cat, who moved back home with him but then, when he left, I had fallen in love with so couldn’t part with her
• Cheyenne a yellow Lab who we had as a puppy and has again moved back in with us

I’m the first person who people from the neighborhood call when they know someone is looking for a home for a pet! 

*Annual Performance Reports are self-assessments that direct-service agencies who receive funding from the US Dept. of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) prepare ahead of funding competitions.