Welcoming New Leaders to Homeless Services
Pictured Left: Katie Guzzey, Pictured Right: N’Jeri Henry,
The Interfaith Works Homeless Services program has restructured to add two new deputy director positions, which will enable us to better serve our communities. We are excited to announce that current program managers Katie Guzzey and N’Jeri Henry have been named to these new positions. Katie will be the Deputy Director of Homeless Services for Supportive Housing, and N’Jeri will be the Deputy Director of Homeless Services for Emergency Shelters. We are so grateful for their leadership and experience to better serve all our clients.
Katie joined Interfaith Works in 2018 as a Bachelor of Social Work intern at the IW Women’s Center. She since has held several positions but drew particularly deep fulfillment from being a Case Manager at the IW Drop-in Center and Shelters at Progress Place, where she worked directly with clients experiencing homelessness. As Deputy Director of IW Supportive Housing Programs, Katie supports Program Directors and other staff in continuing to uphold homeless services best practices, addressing difficult housing barriers, and ensuring contractual compliance. IW Director of Homeless Services Liz Krueger notes, “Katie’s words are always followed by action as she cultivates safety and inspiration in her teams. She has strong expertise in this field and knows how to listen, validate, and empower others to change. She is exactly the leader our supportive housing programs need as they grow and adapt to serve an increasingly vulnerable population.”
Katie’s passion for advocating to expand mental health services and serving those experiencing homelessness led her to obtain her Bachelor of Social Work from University of Maryland, Baltimore County, and her Master of Social Work from University of Maryland School of Social Work, earning a Licensed Certified Social Worker-Clinical (LCSW-C) certification in May 2023. In her free time Katie enjoys hiking, jogging, and listening to true crime podcasts.
N’Jeri Henry has dedicated over 10 years to meeting the needs of individuals battling mental health disorders. In six years with Interfaith Works, she has worked as a case manager in IW’s Community Supportive Housing (CSH) program and worked her way up to becoming Program Director of Interfaith Works Women’s Center at Taft Court. In her new role as Deputy Director of Homeless Services for Emergency Shelters, she will continue improving the shelter community through advocacy. “N’Jeri builds relationships masterfully and neutralizes challenges with incredible creativity and humor. She leads from the front, showing others how to manage crisis with compassion, skill, and unwavering dedication. As homelessness regionally grows, N’Jeri will have our shelters ready to effectively respond to the emergency and house community members quickly,” adds Liz Krueger.
N’Jeri’s passion for supporting those who are disenfranchised led her to obtain her Bachelor of Science in Social Work at Bowie State University and Masters in Clinical Social Work with a concentration in Child, Adolescence, and Family Health at University of Maryland, Baltimore. N’Jeri’s knowledge of how poverty directly impacts the health of those in dire need led her to volunteer at the National Center for Children and Families (NCCF). There she helped youth find their voices and educated them about various aspects of health. She spends most of her free time with her family and traveling when given the opportunity.
Congratulations to Katie and N’Jeri! We know our clients will continue to find pathways to stability through your leadership.