2021 COJ/HUD Initiative Awardee!
On Tuesday, June 22, 2021, Operation New Hope was honored by Mayor Lenny Curry on behalf of the City of Jacksonville and in partnership with the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) as a 2021 recipient of the COJ/HUD Public-Philanthropic Initiative Award. Awardees were selected by an independent jury panel and presented to three […]
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 […]
Great Neighbors at Strings Sports Brewery – New Client Lunches
Our neighbors at Strings Sports Brewery continue to demonstrate their support for our program through our new meal partnership that started on Thursday. Due to a new grant, Operation New Hope is now able to offer our clients a more substantial hot lunch provided by Strings. To better understand how this new hot meal impacts […]
Giving the Gift of Hope – Wells Fargo
Operation New Hope is so grateful for the generosity of Wells Fargo and their donation of $25,000. Wells Fargo has a strong history of supporting nonprofits that strategically align with their funding priorities: financial health, housing affordability, small business growth, and sustainability and environmental justice. Wells Fargo is committed to building an inclusive, sustainable recovery […]
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 […]
Second Chance Supporter – Beaches Recovery
At Operation New Hope, we believe that we are all better than our worst mistake, worst day, or worst decision. We believe in people’s ability to learn from their errors and transform their lives through commitment and hard work. For over 20 years, we have worked to build a stronger community by creating opportunities for […]
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 […]
Second Chance Supporter – Diesel Barbershop
We are thrilled to spotlight another one of our outstanding Employment Partners – Diesel Barbershop – for being a Second Chance Supporter. Our Employment Services Coordinator Steven Ingram sat down with Mike Baker at the Bartram Market location to talk about why he supports second chance hiring and here’s what he said: So, Mike tell […]
National Correctional Officers Week – Spotlight on Senior Classification Officer Engel
Operation New Hope has partnered with the Florida Department of Corrections for many years to deliver our Ready4Release and Ready4Work reentry programs. We are so thankful for their support of our mission to reconnect people with their communities, families, and the workforce. To show our thanks, we would like to showcase the work and talents […]
Kevin Gay to Serve on Citizens Advisory Committee of the Florida Bar
We are pleased to announce that Operation New Hope’s Founder and CEO Kevin Gay has been appointed to serve as a member of The Florida Bar Citizens Advisory Committee for a three-year term beginning July 1, 2021 and ending June 30, 2024. The Florida Bar Citizens Advisory Committee is an advisory group of 12 citizens […]
Second Chance Supporter – Hope Enterprises dba The Original Granite Bracket
We continue to celebrate Second Chance Month this April by spotlighting our local Employment Partners who support second chances by hiring our Ready4Work graduates. We had the opportunity to visit Hope Enterprises dba The Original Granite Bracket and sit down with Roger Kaman, the National Accounts Manager, to learn why he is a Second Chance […]
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 – 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 […]
Voices of Hope – Michael J.
I was at the Columbia Work Camp serving my 6th year in prison when I hear about Operation New Hope. I wrote to get more information and was accepted into the Ready4Release program. It was such a relief to know that my housing was arranged prior to my release, so I knew I had somewhere […]
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 […]