COALITION FOR THE HOMELESS OF CENTRAL FLORIDA
ANNOUNCES TWO KEY PROMOTIONS

(Jose Irizarry becomes director of WRCC and Margarita M. Puckett is named Assistant director of WRCC and VOCA program director.)

ORLANDO, Fla. — (January 26, 2006) — Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida recently promoted two key staff members. Jose Irizarry has been named director of the Women's Residential Counseling Center (WRCC), a 126-bed transitional housing facility for homeless woman and children. Irizarry will oversee staff and day to day operations at the facility. Margarita M. Puckett has been named assistant director of WRCC, as well as director for the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) program.

Jose Irizarry began his employment with the Coalition in June 2002. His experience includes serving as case manager with Anthony House, where he was responsible for client assessment and evaluation, support group coordination, statistical reporting, and housing location assistance. Irizarry also served as program manager for the Sigma Beta Drug Prevention Program, a 24-hour crisis intervention hotline. Irizarry received his Associate of Arts degree and studied social work at Interamerican University, Puerto Rico.

Margarita M. Puckett came to the Coalition from Upstate New York in July 2000. Her previous responsibilities at the Coalition include acting as advocate/director of the Victims Services Program at the WRCC campus where she supervised the case management staff and facilitated support groups for victims of domestic violence. Puckett has spent the last 13 years working for nonprofit social service organizations. Her professional focus has been with families and children, domestic violence, and developmental disabilities. Puckett obtained a degree in Community and Human Services through Cornwell University in New York State.

About the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida

The Coalition for the Homeless is the largest provider of homeless services in Central Florida. This non-profit organization works to address the needs of the homeless in the community and serves as a catalyst for community collaboration to end homelessness by offering comprehensive case management programs to help the homeless become self-sufficient. In the most recent fiscal year, the Coalition served more than 360,000 meals and provided over 240,000 nights of shelter to homeless individuals.

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