About Us

Our Mission

The Ballard Community Taskforce on Homelessness and Hunger (BCTHH) works to end homelessness and hunger in the Ballard community by providing a forum for service providers, community advocates and governmental agencies to share information, capitalize on their collective resources and coordinate efforts. We will work as advocates of change and partners of compassion toward a just and supportive community.

We're here to change the narrative!

Team

Meet our team members.

Bruce Drager

BCTHH Co-Chair

After a half decade of working with thousands of people living on the streets of Seattle, Bruce is committed to finding pathways to housing for all of our homeless. His work as the founder of Greenlake Homeless Advocates and co-chair of the Ballard Community Taskforce on Homelessness and Hunger is laser focused on maximizing outcomes for individuals living on the streets and getting them on track to housing.

Also, Bruce loves hummingbirds.

BCTHH Co-Chair

Mike, through his lived experience and involvement with a myriad of homelessness organizations that are doing good work, has become a veritable "Swiss Army Knife" of homelessness efforts.

He knows everything and can do anything having to do with navigating the complicated world of homelessness.

Chris Johnson

Head of Service Providers Committee

As a real estate agent in the Puget Sound area for the past 40 years, Chris has been acutely aware of the housing affordability crisis and other issues leading to homelessness. She is working to connect the unhoused to services, and hopefully to permanent housing. In her spare time, Chris enjoys singing, travel, gardening, and time with her grandchildren.

Member

Nicknamed "Serpentine Caroline", Carri's focus is to help to stabilize the beautiful people who have been forced to live on our city streets to be the leaders of our greater community in spirit, resourcefulness, kindness, creativity and co-compassionate earth living.

Austin Briggs

Member

Austin is a software engineer and case manager, with 13 years of experience supporting neighbors on the streets of Seattle. He joined the taskforce to combat homelessness in Ballard. In his free time, Austin enjoys volleyball and puzzles.

Walter Hatch

Member

Walter is a reporter turned academic (political science, focusing on Asia). He was born and raised in Seattle, but also has lived in Oregon, Minnesota, New York, Japan and Maine. He never stays away for very long; one time he rode the rails home from St Paul in a Burlington Northern boxcar.

Julia Cheek

Member

Julia is from Ohio and was living in Paradise, California, when the Camp Fire burned down her house 7 years ago. She's been homeless, ever since. Julia is a consultant of the "Stop the Sweeps Work Group".

Jeanie Bustard

Head of Stop the Sweeps/Camp Creation Commitee

Jeanie was born in Kirkland WA and raised in Seattle, worked for the UW for 35 years as an Admin person, raised four children and is proud of her three grown grandchildren. For fun, she is learning Line Dancing, starting her third year of lessons this fall. Jeanie went back to school as an older adult to earn an AA in Early Childhood Ed and with a little luck will be heading back to school to complete her Bachelors in Applied Behavioral Science. She has been concerned for the homeless since her 20's and is disheartened that the problem just keeps getting worse every year. There are solutions and she wants to be about finding and implementing them.

Changing the Narrative Committee

George is originally from New York City. After much travel he landed here in Seattle. He has been actively involved with homelessness and those who have been experiencing it since 2008. He is currently a member of the “Changing the Narrative” committee.

Member

Kerri has nearly 30 years' experience as a resident in an affordable housing program, with over 20 years' experience as the board's Property Community Coordinator. She sees advocating for families and individuals experiencing housing insecurity as profoundly influential for her personal and professional growth. She has found it challenging witnessing diminishing availability of housing options for families and individuals in Seattle. Kerri is a Lay Pastor at St. Paul's UCC, where she has been a member for over thirty years. She finds it a privilege to be part of the BCTHH.

Seth Walker

Member

With a background spanning special education, hotel and restaurant leadership/business management, case management for the unhoused, medical guidance and assistance for the addicted, Seth brings heart and creativity to every role he takes on. Outside of work, he is passionate about music, health and human services, culinary and enological arts and happenings, and experimenting with fermentation in all its flavorful forms.

Victor Puentes

Member

add text here

more text here

victor is awesome!

Barbara Hall aka bluefish

neighbor's kid

add text here

Jerome Smith

Member

Jerome Smith is a navy veteran who became homeless in late 1994. He stayed homeless for eleven years, and has been housed since 2006. Since a boy at age eight, he has been a fanatic of finance. Why? Because he became enthused when he discovered how burnable paper has more value than unburnable coins. Jerome’s hobbies include photography, cycling, and fixing things for pennies – such as fixing his expensive bike with replacement parts only costing sixty-six cents.

Judith Hansen

Member

An hour before the Community Dinner on Wednesdays, we'll make time for some creativity to be nourished. 

We'll provide art materials for those who want to sit and do their own thing, or work on a weekly art project. 

Judith Hansen has been a high school and university librarian, a restauranteur, a novice writer, and has some background in graphic design. 

To get in touch with Seattle elected officials, follow these links:

We believe in the inherent worth and dignity of every person. We believe that every person deserves access to basic needs and the opportunity to thrive.