History
COMPASS Founders
John Logan, Kay White, and J. Pittman McGehee
History of COMPASS
COMPASS is a privately funded social service agency, founded in 1981 to aid the growing homeless population looking for help at Christ Church Cathedral in downtown Houston. Former Dean, J. Pittman McGehee, and Canon John A. Logan, Jr. saw the need for something more than the clergy could offer, so Cathedral member and guidance counselor, Kay White, was enlisted to address the problem. COMPASS was eventually created as an independent 501(c)(3) agency, with Mrs. White as its founding Director.
COMPASS opened in a small Church office, and later operated out of a trailer on a downtown parking lot. In 1989 the COMPASS building was erected at 1225 Texas Avenue, where caseworkers had well over 100,000 client visits, gave out over 200,000 bus tokens, and helped roughly 9000 people get their Texas ID cards. Over the years, COMPASS caseworkers have doled out guidance and direction, coupled with respect and professionalism, to people living on the margins of society, especially those seeking employment.
2005 was a transitional year for COMPASS. The agency moved to a temporary office in Midtown, in anticipation of a move in early 2007 to The Dunn Outreach Center. COMPASS opened to clients in the Dunn Center in January 2007. Our new home there has brought COMPASS the opportunity to serve our clients more fully, as well as the chance for exciting new collaborations with neighboring programs in the new Center.
Chronology of COMPASS Events
- 1981 – Founded at Christ Church Cathedral in downtown Houston by former Dean, J. Pittman McGehee, Canon John A. Logan, Jr., and Kay White
- 1982 – Incorporated as a non-profit 501(c)(3) agency (Houston COMPASS, Inc.), with Mrs. Kay White as the Founding Director.
- 1981-88 – Operated out of a small Cathedral office, and then from a trailer in a downtown parking lot.
- 1989 – Due to generous grants from the community, moved into a new building at 1225 Texas Avenue, and served thousands of clients there until 2005.
- 2005 – Relocated to an interim location at 2404 Austin Street, during the construction of The Dunn Outreach Center on the expanding campus of Christ Church Cathedral.
- 2006 – Celebrated its 25th Anniversary, the vision of its Founders, and the compassionate guidance and direction its caseworkers have offered clients during well over 100,000 client visits.
- 2007 – Relocated to The Dunn Outreach Center in downtown Houston, bringing the opportunity to serve clients more fully, as well as exciting new collaborations with neighboring agencies in the new Center.
Awards and Highlights
- Kay White was honored as a recipient of The Jefferson Award, for distinguished public service in the Texas Gulf Coast.
- COMPASS was named by President George H. W. Bush as one of his “1000 Points of Light”.
- COMPASS has been featured in The Houston Post, The Houston Chronicle, The Wall Street Journal, and Newsweek
