'My Mother's Ethical Will' - What Drives our Director

Blog Post

Driven by her mother's legacy of compassion and service, Brandy Westerman reflects on her transition from international humanitarian aid work to tackling Portland's homelessness crisis as the City's Emergency Humanitarian Operations Director.

Brandy, the City's Humanitarian Operations Director sharing ideas at a team retreat.

As I near completion of my first year with the City of Portland, I wish to share with you a few of the things that inspire me in this work. I invite you to join us in achieving what I believe to be the most urgent needs locally, collaboration and compassion, for responding to the humanitarian crisis.

My mother was an educator who spent her little free time championing the rights of students and families who were often marginalized. When she passed away at the end of 2019, she made me the executor of an "ethical will". I wish to share this with you.

"Don't accept any structure, decision, or tradition that favors one group of people over another. Seek out unfairness and challenge it." - excerpt from my mother's ethical will.

I joined the City of Portland to be a part of the solution, however hard it may be.

Across the country, cities are facing the same challenges as we are in Portland by trying to address the symptoms and side effects of decades of disinvestment in systems that are meant to prevent people who fall on hard times from losing their homes and healthcare.

My job, while overseeing humanitarian operations, is to guide our response to be effective, careful, coordinated, and compassionate. It has at times felt like we're all in an orchestra playing different instruments without a conductor. Portland is rich with caring and driven humanitarians, but they are striving within a fractured system of communication, knowledge, and resource flows.

Homelessness doesn't happen overnight and solving it won't either.

We must work together on every level. We desperately need sustained effort and innovation from champions across the city, county, state, and country to address this humanitarian crisis to support people experiencing homelessness in achieving stability and opportunity.

"Always keep the 'big goals' forefront. Keep moving towards them by talking and acting. Try not to get bogged down by the fleeting stuff. The changes that you know will have lasting impact should have you as their champion." - excerpt from my mother's ethical will.

This is challenging work and sometimes we are not successful. A person housed might not stay in housing, substance use recovery is not always linear, people may fall through the cracks. However, we should not give up.

I'm continually inspired by the people who do this work every day with such dedication and compassion. From the staff member who organized a therapeutic gardening class after noticing a guest planting flowers to the weekly dog walking groups and women's empowerment sessions, these are just a few examples of how our shelter providers are going above and beyond to learn, adapt, and meet the needs of the people they serve.

We're seeing more and more guests at our shelters voluntarily enter detox, treatment, and recovery programs during their stay.

I'm proud to share that we've increased services at each of our sites and built integral partnerships with dozens of other providers and nonprofits. From mental and behavioral health on-site support via Mental Health and Addiction Advocates of Oregon (MHAAO) to employment connections via Central City Concern to mobile health, dental and even veterinary clinics.

Ultimately, it will take all actors within this system to address the crisis we're facing. As my team works closely with the state, county, and nonprofits to build policy and long-term solutions, you can take a role, too, as a community member.

I'll share one last portion of my mother's ethical will: "Give of yourself, your time, your wisdom, your energy, your love, your money."

It takes a caring community willing to contribute and make sacrifices to give opportunity and care for the most vulnerable among us. Portland is full of examples of people living this value, and the need is ongoing.

In the ongoing engagement with involved community members, neighborhood associations and business stakeholders, our staff have led discussions about how to minimize impact on neighboring areas and create a forum for problem solving. I've witnessed firsthand initial apprehension and fear of a homeless shelter in a Portland neighborhood shift to support, collaboration, and an effort to treat the site -- and the people who live there temporarily -- as an integral part of their neighborhood. When people feel heard, and engaged with, they are empowered.

So, I implore you, Portland, to extend compassion. Please, say hello, recognize the humanity on our streets, take a moment to connect with your community, learn about what's being done and how you can help, see yourself as part of the solution by demonstrating kindness, acceptance, and understanding for those impacted by this crisis.

Together, and only together, we can shift the tides toward change.