Team

Deborah Taber, President, Board of Directors

Debbie A. Bretag, Executive Director

Debbie Bretag was appointed as the executive director of Housing Options in November of 2009. Prior to coming to Housing Options Ms. Bretag served as the executive director of the Illinois Center for Violence Prevention for twelve years where she honed an expertise in organizational development, long-term systems change, and policy advocacy. Ms. Bretag has extensive experience in serving individuals challenged with mental health issues and trauma. She served as the Clinical Director of Alternatives, Inc. in the Edgewater/Uptown communities of Chicago and was the clinical social worker serving youth and families in a psychiatric setting prior to that.

Ms. Bretag holds a Masters Degree in Social Work from Jane Addams School of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has been appointed to numerous commissions and task forces over the course of her career including: Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership, Attorney General’s Date Rape Task Force, Governor’s Hate Crime Commission, and the Workplace Violence Commission.