Voices of Hope – Michael M.

“After 27 years of addiction, 2 years of living on the streets, and 6 visits to jail, I finally decided to enroll at Operation New Hope. There, I was given the opportunity to learn things I had long forgotten – things like resume writing and job interview skills. But the most important part of the […]

Celebrating Perseverance: Starleen’s Journey to Success

At Operation New Hope, we believe in the power of resilience and dedication. Today, we’re thrilled to share the inspiring story of Ready4Work client, Starleen, who exemplifies the strength of perseverance. Last year, Starleen received support from Operation New Hope to pursue a phlebotomy class. Despite her best efforts, she didn’t pass on her first […]

Voices of Hope Update-Father’s Day Edition with Fazil L.

Founded in March 1999, Operation New Hope is celebrating our 25th anniversary this year, commemorating our legacy of transformative impact on the people and communities we serve. To mark this momentous occasion, we reached out to some of our former clients to see how they are doing now. Years after returning home, they are still […]

Voices of Hope – Chimekie J.

“After leaving a women’s residential facility, I went to Angel’s of Mercy transitional home in Sanford, Florida. A lot of the women living there have gone through the Ready4Work program at Operation New Hope and recommended I do the same. At first, I was worried it was going to be just like every other program, […]

Voices of Hope Update – Aaron F.

In celebration of Operation New Hope’s 25th Anniversary and Second Chance Month (April), we reached out to some of our former clients to see how they are doing now. Years after returning home, they are still applying what they have learned during their time here at Operation New Hope to achieve success and build a […]

Celebrating Women in Construction

Since 1998, Women in Construction Week has celebrated and promoted the role of women in the construction industry, and our friends at Turner Construction are celebrating by donating 30 pairs of new women’s work boots and hundreds of new safety vests to support our Ready4Work female clients entering the construction industry. Turner’s team stopped by […]

Ready4Work Graduates are on the RISE

Operation New Hope is excited to be partnering with the City of Orlando to ensure our Ready4Work graduates are on the RISE! Clients who successfully complete our Ready4Work Orlando Career Development program and take advantage of additional Career and Technical training can earn additional stipends to support their Second Chance journey to a new career and […]

Press Release: Operation New Hope Announces Addition of Two New Board Members

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 20, 2023 Operation New Hope Announces Addition of Two New Board Members Jacksonville, Florida – Operation New Hope announces the addition of two new board members who will help guide the nonprofit’s mission to provide training and support to people impacted by the justice system to reconnect them to the workforce […]

We love our team at Operation New Hope!

We have a great team at Operation New Hope, and it’s so fun to spotlight our outstanding performers. Every year at our annual holiday party, we celebrate our team’s achievements and take time to highlight those who go above and beyond in support of our clients and our organization’s success. As we expand to build […]

Creating HOPE with Indigo Art Therapy

Operation New Hope teamed up with Indigo Art Therapy Studio to facilitate a special 5-week series of collaborative Arts and Wellness Group Workshops for clients at ONH’s Jacksonville location. The goal was to provide integrative community care that gives formerly incarcerated people a new sense of self, and a voice with which to express it. These workshops, […]

Ready4Work Space Coast Ribbon Cutting

Florida has the 3rd largest incarcerated population in the U.S. and 95% of all state prisoners will be released. Brevard County has the 10th highest number of people returning from prisons here in the State of Florida. Therefore, there is a great need for reentry programs to help people rebuild their lives, become self-sufficient, keep […]

Orlando Showed Up to Race in Support of Hope

The Hope Starts Here 5k in Orlando was a great success! Participants and sponsors enjoyed a beautiful morning by Baldwin Lake while supporting efforts to reconnect people to the workforce, their families, and our communities after involvement with the criminal justice system. Thanks to everyone who came out to race in support of Second Chances […]

Meet the Staff – RJ

https://youtu.be/gcHaqwvlcjM Meet one of our Pre-release Case Managers – Ryan “RJ” James    RJ joined Operation New Hope in 2021 to be a beacon of hope for those going through trauma so that they can overcome life’s challenges. Working in collaboration with the Department of Corrections, RJ and the Ready4Release team deliver pre-release services to 30+ facilities across Florida. […]

Ready4Work Orlando Celebrates First Year

To meet the critical needs of the thousands of people who return home to Central Florida every month from jail and prison, Operation New Hope opened a new program location in Orlando in September 2022 as part of our Statewide Reentry Network. After our first year of delivering our nationally-recognized Ready4Work reentry program and providing […]

Education, Employment and Second Chances Matter!

Susan Kowalski, Operation New Hope’s Deputy Director of our READY4WORK Space Coast program location, attended the Florida Prison Education Project (FPEP) Open House last week at the University of Central Florida (UCF). Founded in 2017, FPEP is an initiative of the University of Central Florida that seeks to offer a high-quality undergraduate education to people […]

Ready4Release Team Making an Impact

Our Ready4Release team is making an impact in our communities and being recognized for their efforts! We are so proud to highlight two of their recent recognitions: Ronnie Cage our Ready4Release Program Manager was awarded Volunteer of the Month July 2023 by the Lawtey Correctional Institution. Ronnie has been facilitating the InsideOut Dads program to […]