Voices of Hope – Fazil L.
“When I was 13 years old, my mom was murdered in front of me. After that I was forced to take care of my brothers and sisters, and it felt like it was just me against the world. Hurt people hurt people, so I ended up spending 25 years in prison from the age of […]
Central Florida Ribbon Cutting Success
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Orange County Sheriff John Mina joined Operation New Hope on October 7, 2022 to celebrate the opening of our newest program location. The Ribbon Cutting and Ready4Work Graduation event was a packed house with over 100 community supporters in attendance. “With over 20 years experience in providing job readiness training […]
Voices of Hope – Aaron H.
“I moved out when I was 16 years old, and I got caught with armed burglary charges. I was sent to a youthful offender camp and was released in 1999. I stayed out of trouble until 2009 when I got into opiates. I was doing stupid stuff like selling pills and ending up getting caught […]
Meet the Staff -Jeff Kauttu
Meet our Ready4Work Job Coach – Jeff Kauttu Jeff Kauttu joined the ONH team a little over a month ago. He has dedicated over 40 years to volunteering in jails and prisons. Jeff is very open about being an alcoholic, and has been sober for 29 years! He currently holds AA meetings and drug court […]
Meet the Staff – Jamara Stephens
Meet our Ready4Release Case Manager – Jamara Stephens. Jamara joined the Operation New Hope team in 2019 after working in mental health services. Her mother’s work with this population at the Tallahassee Police Department inspired her to earn her degree in criminal justice and dedicate her career in support of second chances. Working in collaboration […]
Second Chance Supporter – The Boeing Company
In honor of Second Chance Month, Operation New Hope is thrilled to spotlight The Boeing Company for being a Second Chance Supporter. We are so thankful for Boeing’s $50,000 investment in our mission to provide support and training to people impacted by the criminal justice system to help break the cycle of incarceration and poverty. Through […]
Voices of Hope – Matt C.
Matt is building a new life for himself and his family. “Before coming to Operation New Hope, I was homeless, unemployed, and addicted to drugs. I knew I needed help, but I wasn’t sure where to turn. My daughter’s mom Kate enrolled in the Ready4Work program and told me it was helping her change her […]
New Second Chance Supporters!
For more than 20 years, Operation New Hope has been helping people with a criminal history get the support and training they need to connect with living-wage work and break the cycle of incarceration and poverty. But we are not doing this work alone. Creating opportunities to realize second chances requires support from employers who […]
Hope.Starts.Here. An Employee Spotlight Series
At Operation New Hope, our team is extremely passionate about the work we do every day to help our clients and to strengthen our community. Hope truly powers us to show up and do the work and fuels us to serve the people hoping to transform their lives through employment. To better understand this, we […]
Voices of Hope – Reba O.
Before coming to Operation New Hope, I was in a really low place mentally and emotionally. I wasn’t dealing with things that were going on in my life in a productive manner, so instead I really had just given up. I stopped caring and that led me to decisions that landed me in jail. Even […]
Voices of Hope – Johnathan N.
After incarceration it’s very difficult to try and reenter society. When you get out of jail, try to reintegrate, and do things on your own, you get so disheartened. You get this sense of not being able to do it because it feels like the world is against you. It was even more difficult for […]
Voices of Hope – Shelby M.
I’m from Gulf Shores, Alabama and I’ve been working in the service industry since I was old enough to work. I started bartending at 21, and it was a lot of fun, but I got into a lot of trouble. When a friend came to visit me and saw the life I was living, she […]
Voices of Hope – Jeremy S.
After years of struggling with drug addiction and unemployment, I was finally ready to make a change in my life. While serving time at Baker Correctional Institution, I heard about Operation New Hope’s Ready4Work program, so I decided to enroll at their St. Augustine location when I got out. The Ready4Work program helped me so […]
Voices of Hope – Caleb G.
My mom and dad partied a lot when I was growing up, and I didn’t know any different. I just thought that’s how you lived. As a teenager, I started taking pills that led to harder and harder stuff, and I ended up a junkie. I was homeless and in and out of jail. I […]
Second Chance Supporter – Council on Aging
In the United States, one in three adults has a criminal record, which limits their access to education, jobs, housing, and other opportunities necessary for a productive life. Even after they have completed their sentences and have been released from prison, these men and women face more than 48,000 documented legal restrictions in addition to widespread […]
Second Chance Supporter – St. Johns Housing Partnership
In honor of Second Chance Month, Operation New Hope continues to spotlight our outstanding Employment Partners who support our mission by hiring our Ready4Work program graduates. We are so thankful to Second Chance Supporter – St. Johns Housing Partnership for their commitment to improving the community. For the past 25 years, St. Johns Housing Partnership […]