Noah Fay (MPA) is the Senior Director of Housing Programs with Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC). DESC has long been a national leader in Housing First and Harm Reduction services for vulnerable people experiencing homelessness. Noah has worked in a variety of roles and across programs at DESC, including as manager of the nationally renowned 1811 Eastlake project, as well as other key roles in the shelter, clinical and housing programs. Noah has also served as a trainer and consultant, both for DESC and the Corporation for Supportive Housing, emphasizing the effectiveness of PSH.

Lauren Fay has worked at DESC since 2008 in a variety of roles including mental health outreach, project management of two permanent supportive housing programs, and manager of coordinated entry & housing placement. In her current role as Senior Business Manager, she focuses on strategic priorities that support DESC’s workforce, labor relations, and policy advocacy goals. Lauren holds a BA in Interdisciplinary Arts & Sciences with a Global Studies focus from the University of Washington, Bothell.

Patrick has worked in social services for over the past 20 years and has been at DESC for 11 years in a variety of roles including Housing Case Manager, PSH Project Manager, Senior Program Manager, and currently as a Housing Director. Patrick received his BS in Psychology from DeSales University.

Charlotte has worked for 15+ years with high acuity individuals ranging from childhood to adult. Charlotte has been with DESC for 3 years, in roles pertaining to supervising building renovations and Janitorial staff, in addition to overseeing the operations and unit conditions of the largest PSH at DESC.

Lisa Grillo is the SUD Senior Program Manager at DESC and has been at the agency since 2011. She is a licensed Substance Use Disorders Professional in WA State and has worked in this field for 28 years. Lisa is a harm reductionist and trains on this subject both at work and in the community. She has presented at HFPC in Los Angeles, Denver and Seattle.

Chelsey Rivera, Equity & Inclusion Data Analyst, DESC - Chelsey is a Georgia born Sociologist. She works with DESC in the role of Data Analyst of Equity and Inclusion. Her collegiate background includes a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from University of Hawai’i at Manoa. Her Master of Arts in Applied Sociology was completed at The University of Alabama at Birmingham.

The notion of "where you are from" is a bit tricky for immigrant families, but Houston, TX is where Duy grew up. He moved to Washington for school in 2012 and, entranced by the state's natural beauty, decided to stay in Seattle after graduating. Duy's favorite jobs before his current role as the Coordinated Entry and Housing Placement Manager include being a deckhand on an Alaskan fishing boat and an outreach caseworker in Seattle. Duy sees housing, or lack thereof, as an intersection of many different inequities within our society and thus wants to devote his energy into understanding and addressing issues around housing. In his spare time, Duy tries to keep himself active physically by biking or running, spiritually by trying to attend Mass every weekend, and communally by engaging with various social groups around Seattle. Duy's comfort food is noodle soup and his favorite soup is bún bò Huế.

Danielle Burt is currently a Senior Program Manager in Housing for the Downtown Emergency Service Center (DESC). Danielle has recently transitioned from the clinical department within DESC as the DEC (Drop In, Employment, and Client Engagement) Senior Manager, a position that she held for four years. Aligned with DESC's housing first and harm reduction philosophy, Danielle has been serving the most marginalized and underserved populations in King County since 2008. Prior to these roles Danielle was a Clinical Supervisor with DESC's Supported Employment Program (SEP), a Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) Project Manager at DESC's Interbay Place, a Clinical Support Specialist (CSS) with DESC's Canaday House, and a Residential Counselor (RC) with DESC's Morrison Hotel. In her fifteen years with DESC, Danielle has been an advocate and advisor on many platforms aimed at strengthening resources, funding, and pathways to services for those actively experiencing homelessness or transitioning into stable housing. Leading from a place of prioritizing consumer empowerment, recovery, and holistic care. Danielle holds a Masters in Public Administration and undergrad degrees in Social Service and Sociology.

Emily Shapiro has worked in trauma and crisis care for the past nine years. Emily has her master’s in intercultural studies and human advocacy and now serves as the senior program manager for the mobile response team at DESC.

Paula Griffin, DESC's Senior Program Manager in Housing, holds a master’s degree in counseling from Western Seminary, with 26+ years in diverse social service roles, including management. Her background spans hospital emergency rooms, schools, military consulting, and international service in Malawi, Africa. Paula, a DESC staff member since 2022, also contributes to Equity and Social Justice, cherishing connections with diverse cultures. Committed to serving vulnerable populations, she looks forward to continuing her career at DESC.

Dan Williams, is currently the Director of Housing at DESC in Seattle, WA. Dan has worked at DESC since 2013 in various supervisory roles at DESC’s Navigation Center and the Queen Anne Shelter and as Operations Manager for the main Shelter program before being promoted as Senior Housing Program Manager. In the role as one of DESC’s Senior Housing Program Manager, he supervised a variety of permanent supportive housing and Scattered Sites Program before accepting a position as Director in the Housing Department. Dan is also one of DESC’s senior staff trainers on DESC’s equity and social justice initiatives and subject matter expert, providing technical assistance in person and online to communities seeking to learn from DESC.

With a love for plants and people, Lindsey made the career change from botanical biochem to social services after spending most of the pandemic volunteering with the unhoused population in Seattle’s historic Pioneer Square. Raised in Texas, where not only is homelessness criminalized, but providing any grassroots assistance such as food is punishable by fines and even jail time, Lindsey moved to Washington state seeking a place where her passion for helping others wouldn’t result in a criminal record. DESC provided a way for Lindsey to grow her new-found career, utilize her skills for a meaningful purpose, and build relationships with others who dedicate their lives to ending homelessness.

Nicole is Deputy Director for Strategy at DESC, where she has worked since 2002. Prior to this role, she oversaw DESC's housing & shelter programs, administrative services and fundraising activities. Nicole also serves in the WA House of Representatives (43rd District-Seattle) where she is Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee, serves on the House Health Care and Wellness Committee, and is a member of the Legislative LGBTQ Caucus.

I'm Kimberly Rachal. Project Manager at DESC's Keys to Home Program. I have worked with individuals experiencing homelessness and disabilities for over 13 years. My experiences have been vast yet all of them have helped me gain insight, knowledge and personal growth. My continuous goal is to reach, support and positively impact the lives of each individual that I have the pleasure of interacting with.