City of St. Augustine Supports Second Chances
Joining us at last week’s Ready4Work client graduation at our new St. Johns County program location, Todd Grant, the Public Works Deputy Director at City of St. Augustine, stated he is a big believer in second chances. “For this program, it’s obvious the participant has made a choice to change their lives and I want […]
Ready4Work Continues to Match Clients with Living Wage Jobs
Operation New Hope’s Employment Services Team remains hard at work and is crushing goals! Since the beginning of the year, we have placed 157 clients in living wage jobs despite the uncertain and shifting economy. Even in the midst of a pandemic, we not only exceeded our prior years’ achievements, but we have been helping […]
Voices of Hope – Jessica P.
I was living on the streets, using heroin, and in and out of jail. I used drugs to numb the pain in my life. However, drugs erased more than just the pain – it took away everything including gratitude and joy. I was empty. The last time I was arrested, I thought, ‘That’s it. I’m […]
Voices of Hope – Michael C.
I grew up on the streets and I had been using heroin since I was 16. I got high to deal with the pain, but every time I came back down, the pain would still be there. I knew I needed to change. When I got arrested the last time, the State Attorney told me […]
Voices of Hope – Danielle P.
After three years of unemployment, with two children to support and the threat of returning to jail looming because of her inability to repay restitution totaling $10,000, Danielle Pryor felt hopeless. The memory of that difficult period brought tears to her eyes. “I had done my time, learned my lesson, and been forgiven by God, […]
Voices of Hope – Athena S.
In a classroom packed with current Ready4Work clients, Athena Swygert confessed to spending the years between 17 and 39 addicted to meth. “I took for granted everything I had. I didn’t care because I was an addict. I stole. I cheated – and they took my children.” She paused and took a deep breath before […]
Voices of Hope – Russell B.
Planting potatoes on the Farm Squad was hard. Crawling on my hands and knees in the field in the bitter cold without being paid really informed my outlook on work. Once I reached a certain level of maturity, I decided it was time to change my life. After 10 years in prison, I returned to […]
Operation New Hope’s Risk Assessment Project
In an effort to better serve our clients and community, Operation New Hope has initiated a Risk Assessment Project designed to assess individual’s risk of recidivism and develop rehabilitation plans specifically tailored to address relevant risk factors. Spearheading the initiative are our Clinical Services Director Gretchen Hamm and our Strategic Expansion Director Laureen Husband. We […]
Annual Report, Ready4Work St. Johns County Reopens, and more!
Latest News – June 2020 Operation New Hope is pleased to share our 2020 Annual Report highlighting our Vision for Hope. When we began working in the community 20 years ago to address the issues of poverty, crime, homelessness, and drug addiction, we never could have imagined that our organization would evolve into the national reentry […]
InsideOut Dad Graduation at Baker Correctional
Operation New Hope’s Case Manager Ronnie Cage was onsite at Baker Correctional Institution to celebrate the graduates who successfully completed the InsideOut Dad program. While the class started in early January and was scheduled to end on March 25, 2020, COVID19 changed plans. Cage was happy to report that “The guys were really shocked to […]
Voices of Hope – Ansley G.
A heroin and meth addict since I was 12 years old, I was in and out of rehab and jail for years. I felt defeated and had accepted that I was going to be a lifelong addict. It wasn’t until I was arrested for a probation violation and facing 18 months of prison time that […]
Hudson Family Believes Second Chances Matter!
From the bottoms of our hearts, thank you to the Hudson Family for their generous donation.
America’s Great Addiction to Racism
We can’t let our sense of outrage be driven by a sense of hopelessness. We must build a resilience of hope.
ONH Partners with FRRC and FDC to Deliver Masks Behind the Wall
Operation New Hope participated in an amazing collaboration with Desmond Meade of the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition and the Florida Department of Corrections through the donation of 12,000 masks to correctional officers and inmates. Desmond Meade is the driving force behind Amendment 4, which restored the voting rights of people with prior felony convictions and […]
Petway Family Continues to Provide Hope
Operation New Hope extends our sincere thanks and gratitude to the Petway Family for their continued support and commitment to providing hope to individuals returning to our community. Their most recent gift of $10,000 will help us help people successfully overcome the many barriers following incarceration – like lack of affordable housing and transportation and […]
Meeting the Moment
The team at Operation New Hope is rising to Meet the Moment. The essential services we provide our clients – transitional housing, transportation, job training and placement, mental health counseling, connection to social services – are more important now than ever. Providing these resources not only helps individuals returning from prison, but also serves as […]