Nicole Wiscombe started working with the Heart of Texas Homeless Coalition when she was hired by the City of Waco as the Continuum of Care Administrator in June of 2017, and we are lucky to have her on the team. She is highly organized, enjoys building community partnerships, and is passionate about ending homelessness! Fun facts about her: if she could vacation anywhere in the world, she would go to Bali, and she worked as an animal keeper and tour guide at an Oklahoma zoo while in college.
My favorite thing about working with HOTHC is building collaborations so that we, as a community, can achieve our goal of making homelessness brief, rare, and non-recurring.
“My favorite thing about working with HOTHC is building collaborations so that we, as a community, can achieve our goal of making homelessness brief, rare, and non-recurring,” Nicole said. Holding a Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree of Social Work from the University of Oklahoma, Nicole’s work to end homelessness began with her first social work practicum experience where she assisted LGBTQIA youth develop goals and problem-solving skills as they navigated from being homeless to housed.
In her current position as the Continuum of Care Administrator, she oversees the grant administration of the Continuum of Care Grants and leads planning efforts around ending homelessness in the Heart of Texas. She is trained as a Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) Administrator and has filled the role as Interim HMIS Administrator various times over the past 3 years when that position has been vacant. More recently, over the past year, she has also taken on the role of Youth Homelessness Demonstration Program (YHDP) Project Manager, leading the planning and implementation work for this new demonstration program grant from HUD that is focused on ending youth homelessness.
In November 2018, HOTHC recognized Nicole as the Top Person of the Year during the annual recognition meeting. In August of 2019, HOTHC received the YHDP Grant, of which Nicole was a co-author. “I am proud of our work as a community since receiving this grant award, including our work towards creating a Coordinated Community Plan for ending youth homelessness called Homeless to Hopeful: Solutions for Youth in the Heart of Texas, a project in which I served as lead author,” Nicole said.
Outside of work, you’ll find Nicole knitting, paddle boarding and enjoying the outdoors. Growing up as a ballet and modern dancer, Nicole still loves to go out and dance her heart out at night in Austin at one of the many clubs in the Red River District. Last year, Nicole’s family welcomed a new pet into their home, a black pug puppy named Zelda Mae, bringing joy and laughter. “She is teaching us patience…and never to leave shoes on the floor,” Nicole said.