Northwest Assistance Ministries

What Northwest Assistance Ministries does

Northwest Assistance Ministries (NAM) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, community-based, multi-program social service agency founded in 1983 and headquartered at 15555 Kuykendahl Road in Houston, Texas. The organization operates across more than 660 square miles of northwest Harris County, serving a population of over 1.5 million residents through a portfolio of ten-plus integrated program lines, including Behavioral Health Services, the Family Violence Center, a Food Pantry, Housing Services, the Learning & Vocational Training Center, Pathways to Citizenship, Rental/Mortgage Assistance, Utility Assistance, Senior Services, and Veterans Programs. In 2024 NAM served 117,032 individuals, sheltered 400+ family violence survivors, delivered 259,018 meals to homebound seniors, and engaged nearly 3,000 volunteers contributing 50,000 hours of service.

The underlying technology stack is limited and operational rather than transformational: NAM uses a Homeless Management Information System (HMIS) for client recordkeeping, program tracking, referral coordination, and case management. Service delivery combines a centralized walk-in intake (Monday-Friday, 9am-2pm), a 24/7 family violence crisis hotline, online application portals for rental/utility assistance, on-site vocational training at the Harrell Family Opportunity Center, and Meals on Wheels home delivery. Partner integrations span universities (Our Lady of the Lake, Lamar University) supplying graduate-level counseling capacity, workforce and adult-education providers (Harris County Department of Education, Texas Regional Workforce Solutions, Workforce Solutions), school districts (Klein, Aldine, Cy-Fair, Spring, Tomball) for violence prevention programming, and Spring Branch Community Health Center for on-site clinical care.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid nonprofit model. The primary stream is donations and grants from individuals, area congregations, corporate sponsors, and institutional funders (Houston Methodist, United Way, Texas Veterans Commission, Harris County agencies, PNC Charitable Trust, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas). Earned-income streams include the NAM Resale thrift shop, the Harrell Family Opportunity Center event venue rental, and annual fundraising events (e.g., the 2026 Spring Luncheon raised over $140,000). The NAM Endowment Fund provides long-term financial backing. All direct services to clients are free of charge, with the sole exception of a $35 annual fee plus $1 daily activity fee at the Young at Heart Senior Center. Leadership was refreshed in April 2025 with the appointment of Nadine Scamp as President & CEO.

Name

Northwest Assistance Ministries

Legal name

Northwest Assistance Ministries

Website

https://namonline.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Northwest Assistance Ministries is a Houston-based 501(c)(3) social service agency that provides food, housing, behavioral health, vocational training, and family violence support across 660 square miles of northwest Harris County, serving over 117,000 individuals annually through ten-plus integrated programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Social Services

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Temporary Shelters (624221)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGACAD), Emergency Shelter, Camp Management & Non-Food Items (NFI) (BPAGAAAC)

Keywords

• Social services
• Community assistance
• Nonprofit welfare
• Behavioral health counseling
• Workforce training

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: NAM relies on charitable donations from individuals and organizations, as well as government and private grants. The organization states that 85-90 cents of every dollar donated goes directly to programs and services.
2. NAM Resale Shop: Donations of clothing, furniture and household items are sold through NAM Resale, generating funds for NAM's programs. The resale shop accepts donations and sells them to the public.
3. Special Events: Annual events such as the Spring Luncheon raise funds. The 2026 Spring Luncheon raised over $140,000.
4. Facility Rental: NAM's Harrell Family Opportunity Center is available for private events, conferences, meetings and workshops, with proceeds benefiting NAM's programs and services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Northwest Assistance Ministries (NAM) is a nonprofit, community-based, multi-program social service agency that delivers free assistance programs covering food, shelter, behavioral health, education, safety, senior services, and veterans services across northwest Harris County. Services include emergency food distribution, rental/utility assistance, mental health counseling, domestic violence support, adult education and vocational training, immigration assistance, and senior meal delivery, accessed through a centralized intake process.

Product overview

Northwest Assistance Ministries (NAM) operates as a multi-program social service agency providing assistance across northwest Harris County. The organization offers a portfolio of interconnected programs organized around basic human needs: Behavioral Health Services (counseling and therapy), the Family Violence Center (domestic violence support), the Joanne Watford Nutrition Center (food pantry), Housing Services (homelessness prevention), the Learning & Vocational Training Center (job training and education), Pathways to Citizenship (immigration services), Rental/Mortgage and Utility Assistance (financial emergency support), Senior Services (Meals on Wheels and senior center), Veterans Programs, NAM Resale (thrift store), and the Harrell Family Opportunity Center (venue rental). The organization also manages philanthropic products including the NAM Endowment Fund and Planned Giving options. NAM functions as a single integrated service delivery model rather than a modular platform, with programs designed to work collaboratively to address the holistic needs of clients in crisis.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• NAM Resale: Thrift store accepting clothing, furniture and household item donations. Proceeds benefit NAM's programs and services.
• NAM Endowment Fund (NEF)
• Joanne Watford Nutrition Center
• Harrell Family Opportunity Center

Products and services

• Behavioral Health Services Counseling and mental health services including play therapy, EMDR trauma therapy, CBT, couples therapy, and school-based services offered at no cost to community members regardless of insurance status.
• Family Violence Center (FVC)

Quantifiable outcome

• 117,032 individuals served in 2024
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Our Lady of the Lake UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through which graduate students in marriage and family therapy provide services at NAM's Behavioral Health Services, enabling no-cost counseling for the community.
• Lamar University Marriage & Family Therapy ProgramscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGraduate students from Lamar University provide therapy services at NAM, enabling no-cost behavioral health services for the community.
• Spring Branch Community Health CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNAM clinic partner providing healthcare services on-site at NAM for children and families in need.
• Harris County Department of Education (HCDE)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization at NAM's Opportunity Center providing adult education, GED, and ESL classes for community members.
• Texas Regional Workforce SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkforce solutions partner at NAM's Opportunity Center supporting vocational training and job readiness programs.
• Adult Literacy LeagueminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLiteracy partner collaborating with NAM's Opportunity Center for adult education services.
• Montgomery County Literacy CoalitionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLiteracy partner supporting adult education initiatives at NAM's Opportunity Center.
• Workforce SolutionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorkforce development partner collaborating with NAM's Opportunity Center for vocational training and employment services.
• Klein, Aldine, Cy-Fair, Spring, and Tomball School DistrictscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool district partners hosting NAM's Family Violence Center's Violence Prevention Educator programs, including the Dating with Respect presentation and Youth Empowerment Program for middle and high school students.
• Texas Association Against Sexual AssaultminorOthersPartner organization providing resources on sexual assault awareness for clients of NAM's Family Violence Center.
• National Human Trafficking Resource CenterminorOthersPartner organization providing human trafficking resources and referrals for FVC clients.
• Small Wins, Big MovesminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner program that connects NAM clients and community members to free resources supporting employment, financial stability, health, everyday needs, and personal safety.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• BakerRipley: Houston-based multiservice community development nonprofit operating an integrated portfolio of education, health, financial stability, and immigrant services — directly comparable to NAM's multi-program community-based service delivery model.
• Star of Hope Mission: Houston nonprofit operating emergency shelters, transitional housing, and recovery programs for homeless individuals and families, with comparable shelter/housing and case management services to NAM's Housing Services and Family Violence Center.
• Memorial Assistance Ministries (MAM): Houston-area multi-program social services agency providing emergency assistance (rent, utilities, food, clothing) and education services to families in crisis — directly comparable structure and service mix to NAM.
• Cypress Assistance Ministries (CAM): Northwest Houston-area social services agency offering emergency financial assistance, food pantry, thrift store, and case management — competing with NAM for similar donor bases and serving overlapping service populations in northwest Harris County.
• Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston: Large regional faith-based social services network providing emergency assistance, immigration, housing, and refugee resettlement services across the same Houston market as NAM.
• Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston: Houston interfaith social services agency operating Meals on Wheels, refugee services, and senior programs with a comparable community-partnership-driven delivery model similar to NAM's "Neighbors helping Neighbors" approach.
• Volunteers of America Texas: Texas chapter of national human services nonprofit delivering behavioral health, housing, re-entry and veterans services — directly comparable to NAM's behavioral health and veterans programs, and former employer of NAM's new CEO.

Broad incumbents

• Salvation Army Greater Houston Area Command: National faith-based nonprofit operating emergency shelter, food, rent/utility assistance, veterans services and disaster relief in Houston — overlaps substantially with NAM's portfolio, though as part of a much broader national organization.
• United Way of Greater Houston: Major Houston-area funder and convening organization that funds NAM's programs directly and operates its own community services; comparable as a funding/coordinating entity in the same ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Houston Area Urban League: Houston-based human services and civil rights organization delivering education, workforce, health, and housing programs targeting underserved populations — overlapping with NAM's vocational training and social assistance portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@northwestassistanceministr2773
• Xx.com/namneighbors

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Northwest Assistance Ministries