Celebrating Yvette! "Housing is a human right and more than anything, we are human first."

Describe your role at Bellwether:

I am a Portfolio Manager overseeing the Management of seven properties and one property in development. I am responsible for the hiring of building staff and supervising their performance and development. I develop building budgets and manage the financial performance of my portfolio. I work to ensure that Bellwether’s properties are maintained to high standards, monitoring, and implementing capital repairs and replacements, and preventive maintenance. My team and I ensure that our residents receive excellent customer service while making sure that we are operating in compliance with applicable laws, and in compliance with funder requirements.

What do you find most meaningful about your work?

Being a part of the solution in a small way and helping families and individuals obtain housing. I believe that housing is a Human Right, and my hope is that everyone be valued and accepted as they are because more than anything else, we are Human first.

Tell us about a woman that you admire or are inspired by (past or present).

I admire my Grandmother and my Mother most as both inspired me in very different ways. My Mother and Grandmother were in a car accident in early 1954 in which they were hit head on by an oncoming truck somewhere near The Dalles. Both my Grandma and Mother were thrown from the car as my Mother was in my Grandmother’s lap. They both sustained serious injuries. They were transported to then Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Pasco, WA which is where they resided.

My Grandmother was almost 26 at the time and my mother was 4-5 months old. My Grandma sustained a crushed pelvis, a broken leg, broken arm and hand, a skull fracture, and a broken neck.

My Mother suffered a traumatic head injury. My Mother spent a year in the hospital and celebrated her 1st birthday while there.

My Grandmother spent over a year in the hospital having the learn how to walk again. She also had to learn to write again and ended up switching to her left hand from her dominant right hand during this process. She remained a leftie throughout the remainder of her life. With time, hard work, perseverance, and prayer both recovered but both had telltale scars and symptoms for the rest of their lives. My Grandma walked with a slight limp, had a mark in the back of her head where her hair did not grow and had a permanent scar the length of her right upper leg.

My Mother suffered from Migraines throughout her life and her skull never fully fused at the top of her head.

There were also triumphs. My Grandmother had two more children and my Mother grew up to have four girls of her own. I was inspired by them both as both played huge roles in my life as the oldest daughter and granddaughter.

My Grandmother lived a great life for 83 years and my Mother had a shorter one at 62 years but great, nonetheless. When I think of them both, I think how blessed I am to be here because, our story could have ended that day on that highway over 67 years ago. For this, I take nothing for granted and know that with perseverance and hard work, anything is possible.

What Colleagues Say:

“Yvette is passionate, inspired, determined, responsive and truly wants to see others around her succeed. She is someone I trust and I am forever grateful she is my People Leader, I have gained many skills thanks to Yvette!”