Verni Howard’s professional path led her to corporate banking, where her clients included government entities, non-profits and JP Morgan Chase. While Verni excelled in this field, she wanted to impact her community in a different way.
After moving home to Shreveport in 2014, she became a board member of Providence House, a nonprofit that provides a shelter and child development center for homeless men and women with children. When the previous executive director retired, Verni saw a clear path ahead. She left her corporate job and became the head of Providence House after a competitive selection process.
In the years since, Verni has used her for-profit business acumen to grow Providence House’s capacity and programs to assist more homeless men, women and children.
Providence House provides a unique and essential service: It’s the only shelter in Louisiana that keeps families together through homelessness. Of the 250 people supported by Providence House, more than half are children, who benefit from the organization’s housing, education programs, child care, parenting classes and more. Verni emphasizes improving educational outcomes for the children who come through her doors.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services used Providence House as a national case study. The program is currently ranked No. 1 in the area’s continuum of care for its clients. Through it all, Verni is recognized by the Shreveport-Bossier community as a tireless, fearless advocate for the homeless, going above and beyond to keep families together.