Hi, I’m Joe
Now, living homeless in Seattle, I am mounting a Grassroots campaign for Mayor to finally address the crisis we continue to face.
In the summer of 2024, I lost my home as the result of an unsupported disability.
I’ve since come to embrace this part of myself, and it has made me a stronger, more strategic thinker—someone who sees patterns, inefficiencies, and injustices with clarity and refuses to accept “this is just the way things are.”
Seattle is my chosen home. I moved here to build a life where I was free and safe to be who I truly am. But like thousands of others, I’ve experienced what it means when the system fails to provide access to meet the most basic of human needs. And now, I’m fighting to change that—because no one should have to go through what I and countless other Seattleites continue to face.
I never expected to be homeless. I grew up in a working-class family from Downriver Detroit that, like many, struggled to make ends meet. My parents didn’t love their jobs, but they worked hard because they had to. I saw firsthand what it meant to live paycheck to paycheck, to sacrifice, to navigate a system that wasn’t built to support those on the margins.
For most of my life, I didn’t have a name for the ways I struggled to fit into traditional systems. A few years ago, I learned I was likely autistic— something that, had it been recognized earlier, might have changed the trajectory of my life. Instead, I’ve had to teach myself how to navigate a world that often felt overwhelming and unaccommodating. At its worst, this led me to a period of time where I was unable to work — and then to homelessness.
Serious Candidate
We know how this looks. A homeless candidate running for the highest office in Seattle’s government? That’s not what people are used to. But maybe that’s exactly the point.
People assume leadership comes from wealth, status, and political connections. But in reality, leadership comes from those who truly understand the problems we need to solve. From those who have lived through them.
Joe doesn’t have the war chest of a career politician, but what they lack in capital, they more than make up for in understanding, knowledge, and an unwavering ethical foundation. They know where the local homelessness system is failing, its inefficiencies, and its blind spots—because they’ve lived them, studied them, and worked alongside those most impacted by them.
Joe holds a B.S. in Public Administration with a concentration in Community Development through Entrepreneurship. While in college, they developed business models inspired by the architects of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement, as outlined in The Future We Choose.
Professionally, Joe spent five years as an Operations Manager in the real estate and housing industry, managing everything from multi-million dollar budgets to dog waste cleanup. Their perspective on housing spans the full spectrum—from investment and homeownership to eviction and homelessness.
For the past two years, Joe has focused on mutual aid and grassroots efforts to support homeless and disabled communities. They have studied Seattle’s homeless response system in depth, worked directly with advocacy organizations, and now serve on the Board of Directors for a Seattle-based shelter organization. They are also a key organizer in the push to open 500 new shelter beds in 2025.
Joe may not be a traditional candidate. They are honest, direct, and come from a humble background. But maybe that’s exactly what Seattle needs. A leader who actually represents the people. The Average Joe may just be the best candidate for the job.