Partner Portal
Welcome to The Way Home Partner Portal!
Welcome to The Way Home’s Partner Agency Portal: Where business, resources, and materials of The Way Home Continuum of Care (CoC) are shared!
About: This portion of the CFTH website is designed to provide partner agencies of The Way Home resources and information about/within our local Continuum of Care (CoC).
Who should visit The Way Home Partner Portal?
Any and all staff of The Way Home partner agencies are welcome and highly encouraged to browse this site! This site is designed for partner agencies to find and/or view important information, resources, and materials for their work within The Way Home.
General Resources for Partner Agencies
The CoC Connection: Click here to sign-up for The Way Home newsletters and stay up-to-date on all things happening within The Way Home. This newsletter is not intended for members of the general community - the resources and information shared within this newsletter are for staff of partner agencies.
The Way Home CoC Charter: Click here to view The Way Home CoC Charter. This document sets out the composition, roles, responsibilities, and committee structure for our local Continuum of Care (CoC), which we call The Way Home.
The Way Home CoC Documents:
About The Way Home
The Way Home is the collaborative effort underway to prevent and end homelessness in Houston, Pasadena, Harris County, Fort Bend County, and Montgomery County, Texas. The Coalition for the Homeless serves as lead agency and HMIS lead agency to The Way Home.
Since 2012, homeless service agencies, local governments, public housing authorities, the local Veterans Affairs office, and other nonprofits and community stakeholders have been working together to refine their programs, practices, and policies so the Houston region can provide permanent housing and wrap-around supportive services to as many individuals and families experiencing homelessness as possible.
Currently, more than 100 partners are collaborating through The Way Home to implement programs that are all based on a Housing First model. This means that people experiencing homelessness are moved into permanent housing as quickly as possible then provided with supportive services (like case management, healthcare, substance use counseling, income coaching, and more) to help them remain stabilized in housing and improve their quality of life.
Since 2011, overall homelessness has decreased by over 60% in Harris, Fort Bend, and Montgomery counties. And since 2012, more than 30,000 families and individuals have been housed. Visit The Way Home website to learn more.
The Way Home Partnership
Interested in becoming an official Partner of The Way Home?
Membership for The Way Home is always open! Organizations interested in becoming formally involved (or updating their partnership status) with The Way Home must first complete the partner application. The application should only be completed by a senior member of the agency's leadership body (e.g., CEO, ED). Following the application submission, the Coalition for the Homeless (CFTH), lead agency to The Way Home, will review the application and send the next steps accordingly.
In order to be considered an official and updated partner of The Way Home, the agency must have the following on file with the CFTH:
- An updated/complete Partner Application
- An updated/complete Conflict of Interest form - sent by the CFTH following submission of an application
- An updated/complete Partnership Agreement - sent by the CFTH following submission of an application
- An updated/complete Coordinated Access Partnership Agreement (if applicable) - sent by the CFTH following submission of an application
To learn more about partnership with The Way Home, view the Partnership Packet shown to the right.
Please note that the CFTH will check applications on a monthly basis; however, during high-volume work periods (e.g., HUD CoC NOFO competition) additional time may be needed to review applications. For more information about partnership with The Way Home, email Caybryn Southern, Manager of Strategic Planning, at csouthern@homelesshouston.org.
CoC Plans & Governance
The Way Home Five-Year Community Plan (2021 - 2026)
The Community Plan (previously known as the Five-Year 'Action' Plan) updates The Way Home (TWH) Continuum of Care’s (CoC) 2015 and 2017 Plans, building off the accomplishments of those efforts, addressing emerging issues such as the rise of unsheltered homelessness, and seeking to mitigate the devastating impacts of the coronavirus pandemic. The updated Community Plan includes nine (9) goals and forty (40) strategies that build upon successful efforts to significantly reduce chronic homelessness, effectively end homelessness among Veterans and make major inroads in reducing family and youth homelessness.
The overall goal of this Community Plan is to achieve a functional end to homelessness in TWH CoC and, when not preventable, make homelessness a rare, brief, and non-recurring experience. The guiding principles for the Community Plan include extensive coordination among governments, nonprofit providers, and the private sector; the identification and dismantling of systematic racism; coordination of intensive outreach and crisis services; reduction in barriers to accessing needed services and care; ongoing open communication among partners; and the engagement of people with lived experience of homelessness in solving problems associated with homelessness.
View the entire Community Plan above, or view the Community Plan Fact Sheet for a quick review on our goals for The Way Home CoC.
The Way Home Plan Archive
CoC Meetings
About CoC Meetings
Homelessness is a complex issue and effective efforts to solve it require broad community participation. Planning and implementation activities are driven by a series of leadership, planning, and process work groups that operate in tandem to achieve shared relationships, shared thinking, shared action/testing, shared evaluation, and finally shared policy proposals.

Meetings, committees, and workgroups will be established to conduct the functions necessary to support the CoC mission and meet funding obligations. Most CoC meetings, committees, and working groups are only intended for official partners of The Way Home and their staff, they may not be intended for public members of the community.
Use this section of the website to learn about ongoing CoC meetings, or click the button below to download a packet of all FY23 CoC meetings.
The Way Home Steering Committee
About the Steering Committee
The Way Home Steering Committee is the leadership body (similar to a board of directors) of the local Continuum of Care (CoC). It has authority over the planning and deployment of federal government funds to address homelessness in our community. The CoC Steering Committee has specific responsibilities as outlined by the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) in the CoC Interim Rule. The responsibilities required by the CoC by HUD in the Interim Rule and assigned to the Steering Committee are outlined in The Way Home Charter.
Members of the Steering Committee
Membership in the CoC ensures community-wide commitment to preventing and ending homelessness and must represent a diverse body of stakeholders throughout the entire geographic area of the CoC. The intent is that the CoC be as inclusive as possible, to include the opinions and insights of various parties. Membership consists of up to 22 designated seats as outlined in The Way Home Charter. Each Steering Committee member must have the fiscal and program authority of the organization they represent. View a current list of members below.
Steering Committee Officers:
- Chair - Barbie Brashear, Harris County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council
- Vice Chair - Barbie Robinson, Harris County Public Health
Fixed Position Representatives:
- Kristine Singleton, City of Pasadena Community Development
- Carol Borrego - Fort Bend County Community Development
- Melissa Quijano, Harris County Housing Authority
- David Northern Sr., Houston Housing Authority
- Marc Eichenbaum - The City of Houston Housing & Community Development
- Rebecca Ansley, Montgomery County Community Development
- VACANT - Harris County Representative
At-Large Representatives:
- Bob Eury, Philanthropy
- Dr. Theresa Tran, UT Health
- Juliet Stipeche, Workforce Solutions
- Robert Birdow, Jr. - Michael E. DeBakey Veteran Affairs Medical Center
Provider Representatives:
- Alexis Loving, SEARCH
- Shun Johnson, TLC Health and Wellness
Consumer Representatives:
- Gregory Dread, Lived Expertise & Advocacy
- Jamie Wright, Lived Expertise & Advocacy
2024 Meeting Schedule (subject to change)
2024 Meeting Schedule:
At this time, all of the 2024 Steering Committee meetings have been scheduled as a one-hour business meeting beginning at 3 PM on the second Thursday of each month; however, this is subject to change. If a meeting is to change, appropriate notice will be provided to the partners of The Way Home. Click the button below to register for any of the 2024 Steering Committee meetings. Registration is required.
Important Notice for Partners of The Way Home:
All CoC partner agencies are welcome and highly encouraged to attend/participate. Participation in at least 75% of CoC Steering Committee meetings held is required for all CoC-funded agencies (and those wishing to compete/apply for funding competitions offered through The Way Home). Read the official memo for more information. This meeting is also open to members of the public.
Steering Committee Meeting Information
The Way Home Steering Committee Meetings are open to the public and are held on the second Thursday of each month, starting at either 1 or 3 pm virtually via an online meeting platform (unless noted otherwise on this page). Packets (agenda + supporting materials) for each meeting will be posted online one week before each meeting. Please note that we will make every effort possible to adhere to the posted agenda, especially as it concerns voting items but, in times of disaster response or high-work volume periods (e.g., HUD CoC NOFO Competition), the agenda/presentation may later be amended.
Important Notice for Partners of The Way Home:
All CoC partner agencies are welcome and highly encouraged to attend/participate. Participation in at least 75% of CoC Steering Committee meetings held is required for all CoC-funded agencies (and those wishing to compete/apply for funding competitions offered through The Way Home). Read the official memo for more information. This meeting is also open to members of the public.
May 2024 Meeting Information:
- Time/Date: May 9, 2024 3-4PM (Virtual)
- Meeting Registration: Click here to register.
- Meeting Presentation: Coming soon
- Meeting Recording: Coming soon
- Want to provide public comment? View the public comment guidelines and email scquestions@homelesshouston.org to sign up. If you're requesting to make a public comment on an item of business in the upcoming meeting, please indicate which item of business you'd like to comment on in your email.
Public Comment Guidelines
Timing of comments
- Duration of comment will be 1 or 3 minutes. This time limit will be identified with a visible timer shared on the screen, followed by the speaker being muted when their time is complete.
- A speaker whose subject matter relates to an identifiable action item of business (i.e., action item and/or resolution) on the agenda will have the opportunity to speak during the course of the meeting, when it is time for the steering committee to deliberate on that item.
- A speaker whose subject matter does not relate to an identifiable action item of business will have an opportunity to speak during the Open Public Comment portion at the end of the meeting.
Signing up to make a public comment
- Speakers may request to make a public comment prior to the meeting. All requests must be submitted to the lead agency at SCquestions@homelesshouston.org by 12:00 PM (Noon), the day of the meeting.
- Speakers may also request to make a public comment during the meeting by using the Q&A feature or chat function in the virtual meeting software.
- In either case, in their request, the speaker must inform the lead agency of which action item they wish to speak about by citing the resolution number, if applicable. If a specific resolution number is not cited, comments will be saved for the Open Public Comment portion of the meeting.
Authority of the Chair (or Vice Chair)
- The Chair will call upon the lead agency to assist with public comments. The Chair has the authority to open and close the public speaking portion of each action item on the agenda to ensure the meeting continues to move along at a reasonable pace.
Steering Committee Materials Archive
The Way Home Provider Input Forum (PIF)
Provider Input Forum (PIF) Information
About:
The Way Home Provider Input Forum (PIF) is a quarterly meeting in which provider agencies of The Way Home come together to address and discuss what's happening in the CoC provider community. Members of the PIF include all homeless service provider agencies (official partners), and meetings are led by the Lead Agency and Steering Committee Provider Representatives.
Who should attend?
All staff of The Way Home partner agencies are welcome and highly encouraged to attend! This is a networking opportunity for partners to connect, share resources, and learn how to better serve those experiencing homelessness.
PIF Meeting Schedule (subject to change)
1. Wednesday, February 14, 2024, from 9 - 10:30 AM
- Location: Harris County Department of Education (6300 Irvington Blvd, Houston, TX 77022) – 5th Floor from the garage elevator
- Parking: Please park in the Harris County Department of Education parking garage; parking is free. If the parking garage is full, please use the parking lot across the street.
2. Wednesday, May 15, 2024, from 9 - 10:30 AM
- Location: TBD
3. Wednesday, August 14, 2024, from 9 - 10:30 AM
- Location: TBD
4. Wednesday, November 13, 2024, from 9 - 10:30 AM
- Location: Harris County Department of Education (6300 Irvington Blvd, Houston, TX 77022) – 5th Floor from the garage elevator
- Parking: Please park in the Harris County Department of Education parking garage; parking is free. If the parking garage is full, please use the parking lot across the street.
Provider Input Forum (PIF) Materials Archive
The Way Home Onboarding
CoC Workgroups
About The Way Home Workgroups
Consumer Advisory Council (CAC)
About the CAC:
The Way Home Consumer Advisory Council (CAC) is a leadership advisory body that consists of members with current or past lived experience of homelessness. The CAC provides a platform for people who have experienced homelessness to share their firsthand experiences and provide meaningful input to improve The Way Home Continuum Of Care (CoC); our local homeless response system. Members of The Way Home CAC bring a unique perspective to the homeless response system, providing consultation and advocacy for ways to improve our supportive housing system and the services provided. As a member of the CAC, people have the opportunity to contribute to the improvement of homeless response system and have their voice heard.
The CAC meets monthly to discuss any new or ongoing business. And as a member of the CAC, people are compensated for their time; including monthly meetings and any other special projects that may require their time and expertise.
How to join:
Input and insight are invaluable to us, and we are committed to ensuring that the voices of people who have/had experiencing homelessness is heard. By joining the CAC, people can make a difference in the lives of those experiencing homelessness and help shape the future of homeless services. We welcome you to join our Consumer Advisory Council and be a part of the positive changes we are making in our community. To learn more about the CAC or to become a member, please apply here.
Questions?
Please email Angel Garmon at agarmon@homelesshouston.org.
