SALEM, Ore. – After eight tumultuous years at the helm of the Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS), Director Fariborz Pakseresht has announced his retirement.
His departure comes after a long period of growing tension with front-line workers, particularly those in the Stabilization and Crisis Unit (SACU). These workers provide 24-hour residential crisis care for Oregonians who are intellectually and developmentally disabled.
SACU workers — represented by AFSCME Local 1246 (Oregon AFSCME) — welcomed the announcement as a chance to begin rebuilding trust between agency leadership and the people who keep this critical safety net running.
In 2024, SACU workers took the unprecedented step of issuing a vote of no confidence in Pakseresht, citing unsafe working conditions that put both staff and the individuals they serve at serious risk.
Under Pakseresht’s leadership, unsafe staffing levels and mandatory overtime abuse became the norm, leaving homes short-staffed and unable to safely manage the high behavioral and medical needs of residents. The result was a sharp increase in the frequency and severity of workplace injuries.
SACU workers responded by launching the “Work Shouldn’t Hurt” campaign, a movement that brought public and legislative attention to the extreme conditions they faced on the job every day.
But the breaking point came in late 2024, when ODHS proposed a drastic cut to SACU’s program in the 2025-27 state budget — slashing the program by 50% at Pakseresht’s request. During a budget hearing, Pakseresht stated that he "could not, in good faith, continue to ask for more funding for SACU," despite mounting evidence of its critical need.
The proposed cut would have eliminated 372 jobs and displaced dozens of vulnerable Oregonians with nowhere else to go.
During the 2025 Oregon legislative session, SACU workers organized and showed up in force at the Capitol, holding multiple lobby days and sharing their stories with lawmakers. Their efforts paid off, underscoring the union difference. The legislature rejected the proposed cuts, fully funding SACU for the next biennium.
Now, with Deputy Director Liesl Wendt set to take over after October, SACU workers are cautiously optimistic about the future.
“SACU workers have always been there to support the individuals we serve, no matter the conditions,” said Christina Sydenstricker-Brown, president of Local 1246. “We’re hopeful for a fresh start, and that our new leadership will be ready to listen to the front-line voices who know this work best. We’re looking forward to a new chapter that will bring back our focus to serving the needs of our individuals safely and with dignity.”
As Oregon turns the page on this chapter of ODHS leadership, SACU workers remain committed to their mission: providing compassionate, crisis-level care to some of the state’s most vulnerable residents and fighting to ensure the system supports them in doing that work safely.