WHO WE AREWho We Serve
The BCC serves a growing population of men and women experiencing homelessness, displacement, or financial hardship in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood. The people who frequent The BCC often live outdoors, in their cars, or in some other temporary housing situation. Some grew up in the Ballard area but due to raising rents, lack of stable income, or broken community/family safety nets, they are now without housing. Unfortunately, the numbers that make up this community keep rising; in 2014, The BCC served 686 individuals who visited our clothing closets 3,287 times - more than double our 2013 numbers. By 2019, this number rose to over 900 individuals. The number of individuals utilizing the BCC is rapidly increasing, as the community struggling with making ends meet and being unhoused in the greater Seattle area is also rapidly growing. Our Staff Approach We do everything we can at The BCC to provide a welcoming atmosphere that offers a sense of dignity, worth, and friendship. Life on the streets is very difficult, often stressful and lonely, so we work to provide a warm, friendly place at The BCC where everyone can feel cared for, seen, and safe. We meet both immediate needs and work toward developing long term solutions for individuals, through development cohorts and advocating around systemic policies and alongside our partners. The BCC Staff Jen Manlief - Director Carrie Yu - Associate Director of Operations Cami Freeman - Associate Director of Programs Josh Perme - Outreach Manager Jenn Adams - Outreach Manager Rev. Dr. Liz Mosbo VerHage - Assoc. Pastor of Global and Local Ministries, Quest Church |
I wish people would be more open minded to the fact that homeless people are the same as anybody else... there are some (people) that are trying, trying real hard to find jobs. I'm so happy because some of them who come here have found jobs." |
