Who We Are

Mission

The Housing Link mission is to prevent and end homelessness throughout Bucks County so that all residents have an opportunity to live in safe, affordable housing and to achieve economic self-sufficiency. This mission is pursued via a vibrant community collaborative of public, nonprofit, and private organizations who together make up the Housing Link.

Leadership

The Bucks County Department of Housing & Community Development (BC-HCD) is the lead agency overseeing planning, funding, and data for homeless services in Bucks County. As the lead agency, BC-HCD writes grants on behalf of the entire Housing Link. It also serves as the Lead Agency for the PA-511 Continuum of Care, which is part of the Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Continuum of Care (CoC) Program, the largest single source of federal funding for addressing homelessness. The CoC Program requires the establishment of a community board to fulfill its responsibilities and to review and approve the CoC funding application each year. Executive Board members are listed below.

Housing Link

In Bucks County, this Board is referred to as the Housing Link. All interested community members, service providers, businesses, and government entities are welcome to join. The entire Housing Link meets regularly and has several committees which carry out its business in accordance with the Housing Link Governance Charter. Learn More.

Housing Link Executive Committee (HL-EC)

The HL-EC is made up of County and service provider leadership who serve as Officers or as Chairs of other HL committees. It meets regularly to coordinate and plan around homeless services. The Current HL-EC members are:

• Don Detweiler – Practice Administrator II, St. Luke’s Penn Foundation
  HCoC Co-Chair
• Jeff Fields – Director of Housing & Community Development, Bucks County Department of Housing & Community Development
  HCoC Co-Chair
• Erin Lukoss – CEO/Executive Director, Bucks County Opportunity Council
  HCoC Vice Chair
• Tim Philpot – Director, Financial Stability and Health, United Way of Bucks County
  HCoC Secretary
• Julie Dees – Chief Executive Officer, Family Service Association of Bucks County
  Chair, Strategic Planning Committee
• Erik Clare – Executive Director, Bucks County Housing Group
  Chair, Funding Committee
• Joyce Schug – MH Housing Specialist, Bucks County Department of BH/DP
  Chair, LHOT
• Tammy Schoonover – Consultant, Bucks County Opportunity Council
  Chair, Training Committee
• Laura Ferreri – Director of Social Services, Bucks County Housing Group
  Chair, Local Preference Committee
• Murielle Kelly – Director of Housing Services, Family Service Association of Bucks County
  Chair, SOAR
• Brittany Emswiler – Project Administrator, Data and Performance, Bucks County Department of Housing & Community Development
  Chair, Outcomes Committee
• Stefanie Bodman – Program Manager, Homeless Services, Bucks County Department of Housing & Community Development
  Chair, Veterans Action Team
• Rachel Neff – Human Services Director, Bucks County Division of Human Services 
• Deb Kirkner – Project Administrator, Homeless Services, Bucks County Department of Housing & Community Development
  Dept. of Housing Services, Lead Agency Rep. 
• Allen Johnson – Street Outreach Case Manager, Bucks County Opportunity Council
• Lisa Weingartner – Sr. Vice President, Independent Living, Emergency and Permanency Services, Valley Youth House
  HCoC Member at Large (1)
• Maryanne Lynch – Executive Director, A Woman’s Place
  HCoC Member at Large (2)

Partners

The mission to end homelessness takes a commitment from the whole community and its service providers. Click on a Housing Link partner logo below to learn more about the organization.