Before Downtown Wakes up, Ambassador Brittany’s Already There

It’s 9 a.m. on an unseasonably warm April morning, and Brittany, already two and a half hours into her shift, steers her trike up First Avenue. 

The downtown core is awake now, but Brittany, whose shift begins at 6:30 a.m., had beaten it to the punch. By the time the coffee shops opened and workers filled the sidewalks, she had already made her way through several blocks: litter cleared, graffiti cleaned, paraphernalia gone. Downtown looked the way it did, in part, because she had already been through it. 

Brittany, a Clean Team ambassador with the Downtown Seattle Association/Metropolitan Improvement District, spotted a man asleep on the sidewalk, with a blanket over his face, near Pine Street, pulled over and radioed dispatch. She waited until she knew someone from the Community Safety & Hospitality Team was on the way. Then she kept moving. 

That seamless sequence — observe, respond, move on — is second nature after a year and nine months with the MID. 

“When people ask me what I do, I tell them that I get the city ready for its wake-up call,” she said with a smile. “I’m waking it up for the businesses, the workers, the visitors. And I love being a part of that.” 

The road to MID 

Brittany, 35, had been away from the workforce for a decade and a half when she found her way to the MID through Pioneer Human Services’ Roadmap to Success program, which helps people facing barriers to employment connect with sustainable careers. The program matched her with the MID, and according to Brittany, the fit was immediately apparent. 

“They set me up here because of my temperament — being calm, being joyful, smiling a lot,” she said. “The MID gives you that foot in the door. They make you feel welcomed. And they told me they could teach me everything I needed to know.” 

The stability the MID provided also unlocked something else for Brittany: the ability to go back to school. She is now in her second year at Highline College studying human services, a path she says she couldn’t pursue without this job making it possible. Working four 10-hour shifts gives her enough flexibility for class and her kids, a single mom’s version of balance. 

“I have a routine now, which is something I lacked for a lot of my life,” she said. “I have the access, a great support system and great leadership here at MID that supports me. Everything just fell into place.” 

MID Supervisor Billy Davis has watched that transformation up close since Brittany’s first day on the job. 

“She does an outstanding job on the day-to-day tasks, but she also goes above and beyond whenever we ask something extra of her,” Davis said. “Anytime I need something done, I know I can count on her, and she’ll always bring a great attitude. She’s even-keeled and consistent. It’s been great to see her growth. 

“She has a full schedule: full course load, full-time mom and she shows up here every day. She’s an outstanding example. The MID has done everything to work with her — exams, finals, whatever she needs — and she communicates really well. She’s reliable. She shows up.”

DSA/MID Director of Cleaning Services Steven Walls sees that same drive reflected in everything Brittany does. 

“She’s a hard worker, not only for the MID but in her personal life,” Walls said. “She has an ambition and desire to give back, and that’s impressive. She embodies everything it means to be an ambassador.  

“I think she’d be a great trainer someday, and hopefully that aligns with what she wants here at the MID. Everybody loves Brittany.” 

The three Cs 

When describing her work standard, Brittany repeats the MID’s three Cs: “I leave every block clean, clear and cared for,” she said. 

Part of what draws her to the work is the human element, the brief interactions with passersby, business owners and tourists. She takes mental notes from each interaction. 

“I meet people from all over the world out here,” she said. “Those interactions mean a lot. And when someone thanks you, it’s not a small thing.” 

Brittany is also acutely aware of the more difficult side of the work. Near a busy family restaurant on her route that morning, she used tongs to pick up a piece of debris from the sidewalk out front. She thinks about the families walking these streets. She thinks about her own kids.

“I have kids, so I think about what I want their experience to be downtown,” she said.  

Brittany said she enjoys bringing her kids downtown, grabbing dinner or checking out one of DSA/MID’s activations that she proudly shows off: the holiday Tree Lighting Celebration and ice rink, Tai Chi and even just playing chess in the park. 

“It’s nice to show them everything that we do here,” she said. 

The lighter moments, though, exist alongside harder ones. 

When she spotted the man sleeping near Pine Street that morning and called it in, there was no drama in the moment, just a quiet professionalism. But when asked about those situations, Brittany admitted some can be “very, very difficult.” 

“You want to help so much, but there’s only so much you can do in this position, and that’s tough sometimes,” she said. “So I focus on what I can do. A lot of it is just letting people know we’re out here, and that we can help connect them to resources.” 

That instinct, to bridge people to what they need, runs deep for Brittany, who, like many of her peer ambassadors, has navigated ample hard chapters (hence her gap in employment). She understands firsthand what it means when people and systems show up.

“I see the gaps in resources, whether people know about them or not, whether they have access,” she said. “I want to build that bridge. I want to offer hope and let people know about what’s available to them.” 

“To be where she’s at now, given everything she’s been through,” Walls added, “it’s remarkable.” 

‘Something I’m very proud of’ 

When the conversation turned to her kids — to what it means for them to see all she has overcome to land a full-time job while pursuing a degree, all as a single mother — Brittany paused. Her smile widened into something quieter and more personal. 

“They’re witnessing it,” she said. “It’s important for the development of children to see that, so they can carry that forward in their own lives. And it’s not something I’ve always been able to provide.  

“It’s something I’m very proud of.” 

Brittany acknowledged the MID has provided her with much more than a paycheck. 

“The MID has made an amazing impact on my life,” she said. 

Back on First Avenue, Brittany rounded the corner and aimed her trike toward the next block. The morning was opening up, downtown coming to life around her. She was already doing what she does best: making sure it was ready.