Evicted Ballard Resident Who Has Autism Stares Down Homelessness

by Ana Sofia Knauf Joel Romeo Abel with friend Max Wallace inside Ballard's Bop Street Records. Wallace launched a GoFundMe campaign when he found out Abel's landlords were evicting him.Courtesy of Max Wallace
Joel Romeo Abel, who is mute and has autism, lived in Ballard for more than 20 years before his landlords announced in August that he would soon be evicted for “hoarding.” Friends and supporters donated more than $21,000 through a GoFundMe campaign to help him with moving costs