Colin DeForrest

Colin was born and raised in Pierce County. He graduated from Western Washington University. One of Colin’s passions is finding innovative ways to communities and individuals struggling with homeless-related issues. This led him to work in the social services field – first with at-risk youth and then with homeless families and individuals. He currently lives in Puyallup with his wife, Jessie and their 3 daughters. In his spare time, Colin enjoys mountain biking, woodwork, running, soccer, photography, adventure camping and coaching his children.

Recently Colin has started his own Consulting Agency – Innovative Impact Strategies Consulting. His focus is working with local communities around the management and implementation of homeless services and strategies.
For the past 2 years Colin was the City of Olympia’s Homeless Response Coordinator, leading the implementation of multiple homeless response interventions. Before Olympia, there was Tacoma, where Colin was the Homeless Services Manager for 8 years. As Tacoma’s Homeless Services Manager, Colin was involved in all homeless-related activities. Colin also has a lot of experience in: encampments, homeless response strategies, business outreach, program design and collaborative work with law enforcement. Colin was pivotal to the successful launch of Emergency Response Plans and Declarations in Both Tacoma and Olympia. Colin has been a tireless advocate for the most vulnerable individuals in the community; while also working to create a safe and inviting community.