Meet the Faces Behind the Conversation

Each year, Huckleberry House’s Sleep Out brings our community together to raise awareness and funds to prevent and end youth homelessness. A key part of the evening is our panel discussion—a powerful opportunity to hear from those who know this issue best.

From lived experience to professional expertise, our panelists and moderator bring unique perspectives that deepen our understanding of what youth homelessness looks like—and how we can work together to address it.

Get to know this year’s panelists and moderator below, and discover the voices shaping this important conversation.
 

MODERATOR

Jasmine Garnes Franklin
Founder/CEO
3^rd Shift Warming Cooling Center

Known for her passion for uplifting underserved communities, Jasmine Garnes Franklin is a leader in the community service field. Having first worked as a communication specialist in 2012, she spent more than a decade working in the fight against homelessness prior to opening her own shelter, 3^rd Shift Warming Cooling Center, in 2023. Jasmine’s vision for 3^rd Shift Warming Cooling Center is to provide a temporary shelter that provides care and support to people in need of a second chance. Her dedicated team specializes in working with some of the most challenging guests, including those who have been banned from other shelters.
 
Beyond her work in the community, Jasmine is also a wife, mother of seven, a new grandmother of one, and an active member of her church. Despite her busy schedule, she always finds time to lend a helping hand or offer a kind word. Jasmine’s unwavering dedication to nurturing those around her inspires everyone she meets.

PANELISTS

Joy Bivens
Deputy County Administrator
Franklin County

Joy Bivens oversees the Franklin County Board of Commissioners’ health and human services agencies. As Deputy County Administrator, she oversees the Department Job and Family Services, the county's largest agency and core social safety net, as well as the Office on Aging, Child Support Enforcement Agency and the Office of Justice Policy and Programs.
Mrs. Bivens first joined Franklin County in 2004 as a JFS case manager before leaving to begin her own home healthcare administration agency. She returned to Franklin County in 2015 to serve as Chief Operating Officer for JFS and was appointed Director of the agency the following year. In October 2020, she was promoted to Deputy County Administrator and tasked with integrating the health and human services agencies.
 
In addition to her day-to-day responsibilities, Bivens also serves as vice chair of the National Association of Counties (NACo) Human Services and Education subcommittee, providing a voice for Franklin County’s most vulnerable residents on the national level. In 2020, she testified at a House Ways and Means subcommittee hearing on strategies for combatting child poverty and she has tapped to present at numerous national conferences and panels.
In 2017, she was recognized by Dress for Success-Columbus as one of Ten Women Trailblazers and in 2018 she was named Public Service Ambassador of the Year by Greater Columbus Community Helping Hands, Inc. In April 2022, she was honored by the YWCA of Central Ohio as a Woman of Achievement.
 
Bivens previously served as an elected member of the Whitehall City School Board, as Vice President of the Whitehall Area Chamber of Commerce and as chair of the Board of OhioMeansJobs Columbus-Franklin County. She is a graduate of Capital University.

Tracey Colson
Director of School Improvement and Family Services
Whitehall City Schools

Tracey is a highly skilled education professional with 26 years of experience in training development, project management, relationship building, strategic planning, and analytical thinking. Currently serving as the Director of School Improvement and Family Services at Whitehall City Schools since 2022, she oversees key areas including the Enrollment Center, Social Workers, District Attendance, Homeless and Foster Student Liaison, Family Engagement, and the School Improvement Process. Tracey leads several impactful initiatives such as the Alignment Community Partners Support to School Improvement Plans, the 100 Days to Build Relationships Home Visits, the Blessing in a Backpack Initiative, the Gear Up and Go Back to School Clothing Drive, the Student Success Store, the Literacy Initiative to Support Success By Third Grade, and Stuff the Backpack.
 
Before joining Whitehall City Schools, Tracey served as Principal at Mifflin Middle School from 2015 to 2022 and held various leadership roles within Columbus City Schools, including Assistant Principal at Starling Middle School, Arts Impact Middle School, and South High School. During her career, Tracey has earned multiple accolades, including the Ohio PBIS Recognition Award and several years of an overall Value-Added grade of "A" from the Ohio Department of Education as a building principal.
 
Tracey holds a Master's in Education Administration from Ashland University and a Bachelor's in Education from Capital University, both in Ohio.
 

Kyra Crockett Hodge, she/her
Director of Outreach + Engagement
Huckleberry House

Kyra Crockett Hodge is a passionate community advocate with more than 25 years of experience in youth development, outreach, and engagement. Throughout her career at Huckleberry House, she has held several key roles—including Lead House Manager of the Crisis Shelter, Development Coordinator, and Youth Outreach Program/C.A.R.R. Team Supervisor. She currently serves as the Director of Outreach & Engagement, where she leads with a deep commitment to building authentic relationships and creating lasting impact for Columbus' most vulnerable youth.
 
Kyra’s work is grounded in a positive youth development framework and a belief that all young people deserve to be seen, heard, and supported. Her strengths lie in building trust across generations, empowering youth to recognize their worth, and mobilizing communities toward meaningful change.
 
A proud Columbus native, Kyra is a graduate of Eastmoor High School and The Ohio State University. She has been recognized with multiple honors, including the Community Heroes Award (2021), the OSU Community Engagement Award (2020), and the Columbus Foundation’s Heart Work Award (2019). Beyond her professional life, Kyra is a devoted wife to her husband Giovanni and a proud mother to her sons, Dallas and Chase—her greatest inspiration.


Nancy Day-Achauer
Councilmember
City of Columbus

As a councilmember, Nancy Day-Achauer looks to use her experience addressing human service needs on the Westside to work for all of Columbus, improving the quality of life and access to services for residents in every corner of the city.
 
Councilmember Day-Achauer chairs the Neighborhoods, Recreation, and Parks committee and vice chairs the Public Service and Transportation committee. As chair, she champions the important work of the Recreation and Parks department and has advocated for the expansion of the Center Without Walls program, which provides recreational programming to neighborhoods without community centers. In 2024 she secured funding to launch the “Getting Grant Ready Academy”, providing resources and training to a cohort of small nonprofits, assisting them in locating and applying for critical grant funding. As the wife, daughter, and granddaughter of veterans, she is also proud to serve as the Veteran Affairs chair for City Council, organizing first-time initiatives such as the Veterans Appreciation Dinner and the Veterans Day Softball Game.
 
During her time as an ordained minister in central Ohio, her involvement with multiple local organizations and boards, such as the Westside Area Commission, she grew her commitment to community revitalization and public well-being through service and advocacy. Day-Achauer has particularly focused her work on helping the vulnerable members of her community, helping found programs like Ville on the Hill and Jordan’s Crossing Resource Center to help seniors and the homeless respectively. Her work on the boards for Homes on the Hill and the Prevention Action Alliance has allowed her to engage in addressing issues like housing affordability and the opioid epidemic.
 
She grew up in the small town of Nevada City, California, where her parents instilled in her a strong sense of responsibility and exemplified active participation in the community. After high school, Day-Achauer attended night classes to earn her degree in Business Management, all while simultaneously raising her child on her own and working full-time. In 2005, she moved to Ohio to earn a Master of Divinity at the Methodist Theological School.
 
Day-Achauer and her husband Jeff live in Northwest Columbus with their dog, Arnie. They also have one daughter and two grandchildren.


Ben Sears
Vice President of Expansion
Star House

Ben Sears is a passionate advocate for vulnerable populations, with a career dedicated to addressing homelessness and housing insecurity. As the Vice President of Expansion at Star House, he leads initiatives to replicate drop-in centers, housing programs, workforce development, and community engagement efforts supporting youth experiencing homelessness. Additionally, he serves as the Executive Director of the Columbus Coalition for the Homeless.
 
Previously, Sears held key roles at Anthem BCBS Ohio Medicaid as Program Manager of Housing Solutions and at Mount Carmel Health System, where he led street outreach and housing programs.
 
Sears holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Toledo, a Master of Ministry from Ohio Christian University, and dual Master’s degrees in Health Administration and Business Administration from the University of Phoenix. His diverse educational background was made possible as a benefit from starting his career serving in the US Air Force.