Rex Hohlbein

YKMN Host and Producer / Principal at BLOCK Architects / Founder of Facing Homelessness / Co-Founder of the BLOCK Project
A Seattle native, Rex ran a successful residential architectural firm for 30 years. In 2010, after befriending several men experiencing homelessness along the Fremont Canal, Rex started a Facebook page to raise awareness for those living unsheltered through the sharing of photos and personal stories. Today, that Facebook page has over 50,000 followers, becoming a thriving and inspirational non-profit, Facing Homelessness. In 2017 Rex started a new chapter that combines both architecture and community outreach in starting a socially-focused architecture firm, BLOCK Architects, with his daughter Jenn LaFreniere. Together they co-founded The BLOCK Project.

Tomasz Biernacki

YKMN Producer and editor / Filmmaker / Co-Founder of Sound Foundations NW
Tomasz is an award winning filmmaker who works closely with nonprofits in the Puget Sound region to produce compelling story telling and fundraising videos that connect and inspire people to act. In 2018 Tomasz released a full feature documentary film about homelessness in Seattle called Trickle Down Town. Since then he has co-founded a 100% volunteer based organization called Sound Foundations NW that has built hundreds of transitional housing units (tiny homes) for people experiencing homelessness around the Puget Sound region. The project has been sponsored by the Low Income Housing Institute and is now the primary source of tiny homes in Washington State, on average producing 4-6 tiny homes per week out of the volunteer friendly “Hope” factory located in Seattle’s SODO neighborhood. In 2020 Tomasz joined Rex and Facing Homelessness to design and implement a similar volunteer based construction model and production shop for The BLOCK project. In his previous career, Tomasz ran a commercial illustration and animation studio that included international architectural firms and print/media clients such as CNN, Discovery Channel and HGTV.