Jo was born and raised in the Northwest. She loves reading, photography, concerts and spending time with her husband and friends. One of her favorite things to do is to travel outside the US and immerse herself in different cultures and have amazing experiences. Jo lived in Guatemala for a few years and hoped to retire there. She has a B.A. in English from the University of Oregon and a Masters in the Art of Teaching (MAT) from Pacific University.
Jo has both lived and professional experience. She comes from a family history of substance use disorder. After seeking help and while in recovery, Jo brought that lived experience to provide compassion, empathy, and a non-judgemental attitude into her work. She spent the last several years working for King County family shelters doing intake and diversion, but after witnessing many families lose their housing and returning to shelter, Jo sought a more hands-on role in aftercare to help insure participants remain housed after leaving shelter services. She is an advocate of harm reduction approaches.
Cyr is a passionate advocate of supporting others in achieving their goals. She believes a key component of long-term solutions regarding assisting people who have been unhoused lies in aftercare. Acquiring housing is a first step in a long road of building a desired life, but providing needed aftercare to further support people in regard to remaining housed and meeting other goals is paramount in addressing the individual needs of each participant. As a CoLEAD Housing Specialist, Jo is excitedly engaged in providing these support services to help participants achieve their dreams.