Be Remarkable: Tamara Duren and her team help homeless families in the area

The “Be Remarkable” award is a joint initiative between KBTX-TV and Daniel Stark Injury Lawyers.
The “Be Remarkable” award is a joint initiative between KBTX-TV and Daniel Stark Injury Lawyers.
Published: Jul. 8, 2024 at 8:55 PM CDT

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) - Twin City Mission can be a resource for help and hope if a person or family faces homelessness.

The staff identifies each individual’s needs and formulates a plan to get everyone into more permanent housing.

The woman in charge of those services is Tamara Duren and she is this week’s Be Remarkable recipient.

“My mother was always a people person and so, in this job, I get to be a people person and then also help people. So that just drives me every day to know that we’re able to help someone, and with a hand up instead of a handout,” said Duren.

Tamara is over the Doug Weedon Shelter for Hope, the community cafe, and the community closet in downtown Bryan. The goal of the mission is to transition clients from the shelter back into the community with the resources. She started here as a case manager four years ago and since has taken on a leadership role.

“The position that she’s in is definitely not a nine-to-five position. She is up here on the weekends. She is up here in the evenings. If something needs her attention, she is totally dedicated to the residents that live here at the shelter,” said Twin City Mission CEO Dorothy Nevill.

What motivates her is seeing the program succeed.

“Actually seeing someone leaving and moving into their own home or transitioning into their own space that has been here and really worked the program and we’ve seen the growth,” said Duren, who was nominated by Shelter Monitor Myesisha Mathis.

To learn more about the Homeless and Housing Services at Twin City Mission and how you can help, click here.

The “Be Remarkable” award is a joint initiative between KBTX-TV and Daniel Stark Injury Lawyers.

If you have someone you want to nominate for our Be Remarkable campaign click here!