Homelessness in Lancaster

Jennifer Koppel, is the Director of the Office for Lanc Co MyHome.  Following her graduation from Manheim Central High School, Jen received the honor of National Merit Scholar. She continued her education at Millersville University, graduating magna cum laude in 1993 with a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology.  In 2018 she graduated magna cum laude from the Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences, with a Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration. Jen has 25 years’ experience in social services with a concentration in government and human services. During her long social service career, Jen has worked as a case manager in mental health, managed contracts for mental health services, and was the Deputy Director at the County’s Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (BHDS) Division. Through her work with BHDS, Jen became involved in leading the county’s Homelessness Coalition and in 2015 lead the transition of the Coalition from County Government to Penn Medicine Lancaster General Health. In 2018, she was appointed by Governor Tom Wolf to the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) Board.

Through Jen’s leadership the Homelessness Coalition has been nationally recognized for its work in transforming systems for veterans experiencing homelessness and individuals experiencing chronic homelessness, culminating in recognition by First Lady Michelle Obama at the White House in 2015. Jen has been invited as a presenter at various conferences and has served as a consultant on homeless services to communities across the country. She also guest lectures on Poverty and Homelessness in Population Health classes at her alma mater, Millersville University.