Who We Are & What We Do

We are responsible for collaborating with, listening to and collecting data from the
housing and homeless community to ensure everyone has a place to call home.

Who We Are & What We Do


The SARAH Story


In 2015, the South Alamo Regional Alliance for the Homeless (SARAH) was designated as the lead Continuum of Care (CoC) agency for San Antonio and Bexar County. As the CoC, SARAH secures and distributes funding for direct service providers in the housing and homeless community and provides guidance to strengthen policies and programs. SARAH is responsible for collaborating with, listening to, and collecting data from the housing and homeless community to ensure everyone has a place to call home.

Our Mission

We exist to ensure everyone has a place to call home in San Antonio and Bexar County.

Our Vision

We envision a San Antonio and Bexar County community where everyone has a safe place to call home.  We achieve this vision by strengthening our coordinated system of care, promoting sustainable strategies, and focusing on measurable impact.

Our Values

Inclusion – We embrace differences, recognize the inherent value of diverse perspectives, and create spaces for authentic collaboration.

Empowerment – We see the potential in people, lead with trust, and elevate strengths.

Diligence – We are rigorous in our analysis, strategic with our solutions and disciplined with our implementation and continuous refinement.

Learning – We are students of impact, strive to be subject matter experts, and recognize setbacks as opportunities for growth.  

System Leadership – We nurture the health of the whole by catalyzing and supporting the process of systems-level change to collaboratively build the vision for our Continuum of Care.

CoC Lead Agency

SARAH is designated by the federal department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as the Continuum of Care (CoC) Lead Agency for San Antonio and Bexar County (TX-500). As the CoC Lead, SARAH oversees the CoC Program, which has HUD funding dedicated to housing with services to prevent and end homelessness in our community. On an annual basis, SARAH conducts a funding competition and submits a collaborative application on behalf of our community. CoC Program Grantees use Homelink, our community’s Coordinated Entry System, to connect clients with available housing resources.

HUD CoC Resources

Local Policies

We’re proud to work together with service providers and partner agencies across San Antonio and Bexar County to end homelessness.

Alamo Colleges District

Alamo Colleges District
American GI Forum – National Veterans Outreach Program

American GI Forum – National Veterans Outreach Program
Bexar County

Bexar County
Bexar County Health Collaborative

Bexar County Health Collaborative
Catholic Charities

Catholic Charities
Catholic Worker House

Catholic Worker House
Center for Healthcare Services

Center for Healthcare Services
CentroMed

CentroMed
City of San Antonio, Department of Human Services

City of San Antonio, Department of Human Services
Corazon Ministries

Corazon Ministries
Crosspoint, Inc.

Crosspoint, Inc.
Daughters of Charity Services

Daughters of Charity Services

Our Board of Directors & Leadership

SARAH Leadership

Katie Vela

Executive
Director

Richard Huron

Director of Finance and Administration

Chelsey Viger

Director of Policy and Planning

Dr. Azza
Kamal

Director of Evaluation
and Research

Eboni Jett

Director of Systems

Billy Mahone

Director of
Community Engagement

SARAH Board of Directors

Leilah Powell,
Board President

CEO, Local Initiatives Support Corporation

Lori Stinson,
Vice President

Program Director, San Antonio Chamber of Commerce

Phil Beckett,
Treasurer

CEO, Healthcare Access San Antonio

Greg Zlotnick,
Secretary

Director of Pro Bono Programs, St. Mary’s University School of Law

  • Salena Santibanez,
    Consumer Seat
    CEO, GPS Consulting

  • Kameron Rhys,
    Youth Action Board
    Youth Action Board President

  • Melody Woosley
    Director, Department of Human Services, City of San Antonio

  • Greg Matula
    Director of Corporate Communications, NuStar Energy, L.P.

  • Scott Ackerson,
    Membership Council Chair
    Executive Vice President at Prospera Housing Community Services

  • Craig Hopkins
    Chief Information Officer, City of San Antonio

  • Javier Salazar
    County Sheriff, Bexar County

  • Leslie Komet
    President/CEO, Komet Marketing Communications, Inc.

  • Annie Erickson,
    Membership Council Service Director At-large
    Senior Director of Veteran and Community Services, Endeavors

  • William McManus
    Chief of Police, San Antonio Police Department

  • Jo Estrada
    Division Director of Community Resources, Bexar County Economic and Community Development

  • Estella Garza
    Coordinator, Family Student Report

SARAH Board Meeting Minutes 2015 – 2020

Board Committees

Board committees are chaired by CoC Board members and composed of professionals with expertise in various sectors related to homelessness. The role of committees is to recommend policy and planning decisions to the CoC Board of Directors. To view bylaws of the committees, click here to read our Nonprofit Bylaws and Governance.

If you are interested in applying for a committee, please email contactsarah@sarahomeless.org for more information.

HMIS Advisory
Committee

Members of this committee are responsible for reviewing and recommending policies, procedures, customization, and plans for the local Homeless Management Information System (HMIS). To learn more, click here.

Committee Chair: Phillip Beckett
Co-Chair: Vacant
SARAH Staff Lead: Azza Kamal

Point-in-Time Count Committee

Members of this committee oversee planning and implementation of the Point-in-Time Count, an annual census of people experiencing homelessness in our community. To learn more about the PIT Count, click here.


Committee Chair: Leslie Komet
Co-Chair: Gregory Zlotnick
SARAH Staff Lead: Chelsey Viger

Coordinated Entry
Advisory Committee

Members of this committee are focused on managing the strategic direction, implementation, and administration of San Antonio and Bexar County’s local Coordinated Entry System, Homelink. Click here to learn more.

Committee Chair: Melody Woosley
Co-Chair: Jo Estrada
SARAH Staff Lead: Eboni Jett

Youth Action Board

Members of this governing board represent the youth/young adult voice in the Continuum of Care and oversee planning and implementation of the Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP). 2/3 of members must have lived experience of homelessness and be under 25 years old. To learn more, click here.

Board Liaison: Salena Santibañez
SARAH Staff Lead: Suyapa Muñoz

Press Room

Press Releases

SARAH in the News

Employment/Internships

Employment Opportunities

Systems Partner Coordinator

Planning Coordinator

Internship Opportunities

Research & Evaluation Department Internship Application – Summer 2021 Openings

Planning Team 2021 Internship Announcement – updated

Please see applications above for deadlines