Week 6:
Martha

July 5, 2020

A picture of the film ft. coffee and headphones.

It has been a week of wrapping up loose ends, getting B-roll of Cedar Rapids, conducting interviews with staff, and meeting with my supervisor to discuss and check-in about the editing process. The editing bit can be the most difficult – for days I dealt with tech issues and when I need to learn a new editing skill, the learning curve can feel steep. I spent my 4th of July weekend figuring out how to make a ‘swell’ sound effect using the audio tools in Adobe Premiere Pro. Spoiler: it’s nearly impossible without an orchestra.

I’m doing great now that I’ve recovered from surgery, and love talking to clients and staff. This week I spoke with Martha about her job as a case manager. Martha has been with Willis Dady since 2011. 10 years. She was the shelter’s first case manager and has seen it all. 

Martha tells me her case manager techniques. She treats people as she would want to be treated, and allows herself to be humbled by her clients. She stresses the importance of gathering peoples’ stories – of being present, of listening. Martha doesn’t like to use clinical, technical language or overburden clients with mental health or housing jargon. She’s straight forward and empathetic. COVID-19 has pushed her to become more creative in solving client housing or employment problems. 

Two of the more emotionally taxing cases Martha handled revolved around a mother with her children who were escaping from a physically abusive partner, and an older man in his 70’s with no living relatives. The man and her got close enough that he would check-in with her after being housed. Martha discovered that he had been taken advantage of by neighbors, and made the call to place him in a nursing home. He had a number of health issues and needed to be tended to by medical professionals. 

Martha’s job comes with a lot of discretion. Thankfully, she’s a reflective person who takes the time to weigh the costs of her decisions – and some choices are hard no matter who is the one making them, like to place an older person in a nursing home. The difference between any job that allows the employed to use discretion (and power) and Martha’s is that she’s given the opportunity to know someone, up close and personal and often for a long period of time (she often sees clients that have been housed for 6 or 8 years now and while we talked, current clients would call in to talk about their workday). Martha takes this seriously and says she is witnessing other people’s lives – and they in turn are witnessing hers. What could be more important?

I feel compelled to write about Martha here because she’s the kind of person that makes you feel compelled to write about them. While I don’t have any career reflections or sociological analysis to offer at the moment, and I usually write about clients’ experiences, I think if there’s anyone who best represents what Willis Dady Homeless Services is about: it’s Martha. Do with that what you will. 

This week, I’m grateful for the Marthas of the world. See you soon!

A Black Lives Matter protest in front of Cedar Rapids Mayor Brad Hart’s house, minutes after the crowd chanted “Mayor Hart have a heart / let Black leaders do their part.”