Explore Resources to Take Action on Homelessness

Leo Flor – Chief Legacy Officer, Seattle FWC26

Leo Flor is the Chief Legacy Officer for Seattle’s non-profit local organizing committee, charged with planning community investments and partnerships as Seattle prepares to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.  Leo previously served as the Director for King County’s Department of Community and Human Services, overseeing the County’s divisions for Behavioral Health, Affordable Housing, and Human Services programs for older adults, youth, veterans, survivors of gender-based violence, immigrants and refugees, and persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. At King County, Leo spearheaded the County’s Crisis Care Centers Levy and Health through Housing proposals and oversaw Isolation and Quarantine and Shelter-to-hotels programs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Leo has also been a legal aid attorney for incarcerated veterans and began his career as a US Army Infantry Officer, including service in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Daniel Malone, Executive Director, DESC

Daniel Malone is the Executive Director of DESC, a nonprofit organization in Seattle providing survival and crisis services, behavioral healthcare, and permanent supportive housing. Daniel has been at DESC for several decades, serving as Executive Director since 2015. A major emphasis of Daniel’s work has been designing, implementing, and evaluating programs for adults experiencing chronic homelessness and living with complicated behavioral health disabilities and other conditions.  He has provided technical assistance and presentations to groups around the US and Canada and is co-convener of the national Housing First Partners Conference.  Daniel holds an undergraduate degree from Boston College and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of Washington.

Colleen Ecohawk, Executive Director, Indian Services Commission

Colleen Echohawk is a born organizer, change-maker, and leader. Her experiences as an Indigenous woman, small business owner, community organizer, and executive leader inform her efforts in building a community of justice and reconciliation. An enrolled member of the Kithehaki Band of the Pawnee Nation and a member of the Upper Athabascan people of Mentasta Lake, Colleen is proud to have called Seattle home for over two decades. She is a champion for change, igniting successful coalitions to bring about positive shifts in Seattle’s housing, homelessness, racial justice, sustainability, and public safety issues. Colleen is committed to service. As the Executive Director at the Chief Seattle Club, Colleen led the effort to create nearly $100 million in new affordable housing in Seattle and oversaw the best rapid rehousing success program in the county. At the Seattle Community Police Commission, Colleen worked to address the systemic racism in our criminal justice system. Colleen is the co-founder of the Equatible Recovery and Reconciliation Alliance and the founder of the National Coalition to End Urban Indigenous Homelessness. In her latest role as the CEO of Native lifestyle brand Eighth Generation, Colleen is using her connections and business acumen to take the small business global. Through an artist-centric approach and positive outlook, the brand is poised under Colleen’s leadership to share authentic, Native-designed art and home goods with an international audience eager for ethically made products. In her spare time, Colleen loves to watch Netflix originals, belt Beyonce with friends at karaoke, take her dog Rizzo for long walks, and bake for her friends and family.

Jon Ehrenfeld, Program Manager, Seattle Fire Department

Jon Ehrenfeld is the program manager for the Seattle Fire Department’s Mobile Integrated Health Program. Since starting this program in 2016, he has helped develop its co-responder team, Health One, which pairs specially-trained firefighter/EMTs with case managers. These teams respond to the most vulnerable members of the community, including people experiencing homelessness, chronic disease, mental illness, and substance use disorder. Jon’s background prior to SFD includes nonprofit program management and time spent working as an EMT and paramedic. He holds a master’s degree from George Washington University and lives with his family in Seattle.

Will James, Journalist, KUOW

Will James is a Peabody-nominated journalist with Seattle NPR station KUOW who has reported on homelessness and other social issues in the Pacific Northwest for nearly a decade. He co-created the audio documentaries Lost Patients, The Walk Home, and Outsiders, which explore homelessness, mental illness, policing in America.

Assistant Chief Daniel Nelson, Seattle Police Department

Assistant Chief Daniel Nelson is a longtime Seattle Police Department leader who began his career in patrol and has served the city for over two decades. He now leads the department’s behavioral health response efforts, focusing on improving crisis intervention and cross-sector collaboration between public safety and Housing First providers. Nelson played a key role in developing the department’s Crisis Response Unit and served as SPD’s first Crisis Intervention Coordinator, working closely with community partners to ensure people experiencing behavioral health crises receive appropriate support rather than punitive responses. His leadership centers on building partnerships that address the complex needs of individuals facing homelessness and mental health challenges, helping to create safer, more compassionate outcomes for both clients and the broader community.

Dr. Simha Reddy, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Washington

Simha Reddy, MD is a primary care physician focused on the health of homeless and previously homeless patients, providing care in clinic and the community. He trains medical residents as a clinical associate professor in the University of Washington’s Department of Medicine and previously served on the Implementation Board of the King County Regional Homelessness Authority. 

Dr. Susan E. Collins, Co-Director, HaRRT Center (UW)

Susan E. Collins, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist, professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and codirector of the Harm Reduction Research and Treatment (HaRRT) Center at the University of Washington – Harborview Medical Center. She has been involved in substance use research, assessment and treatment for nearly 30 years and has disseminated this work in over 80 peer-reviewed articles and chapters as well as the new evidence-based treatment manual from Hogrefe titled, Harm Reduction Treatment for Substance Use. She works with multidisciplinary research and clinical teams, community-based agencies, and people who use substances to codevelop and evaluate interventions that aim to reduce substance-related harm and improve quality of life for people who use substances and their communities. She founded and consults for the Harm Reduction Treatment Track at Harborview Medical Center’s Mental Health and Addiction Services. She is in clinical practice providing harm-reduction treatment for patients in the Adult Outpatient Clinic at UW-Roosevelt. Dr. Collins is also a mother, a wife, a sister and a daughter embedded within families affected by the intergenerational experience of addictive behaviors and its sequelae. Susan attended her first 12-step meeting when she was 16, and her families’ and her own lived experiences drive her desire to reduce the stigma of addictive behaviors and meet people where they are at in all aspects of her work.

Michelle Johnson-Covello

Michelle is a DESC-based community advisory board member at the UW HaRRT Center. Over the past few years, Michelle has provided essential feedback on research efforts and helped co-create materials for various grants, interventions, informational, and advocacy projects. As a long-time caregiver-in-training, Michelle has invaluable perspectives on the importance of Housing First.