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 […]
Voices of Hope – Kory L.
When I was release from jail, I was staying at St. Francis homeless shelter in St. Augustine. I didn’t know what I was going to do or how I was going to do it. I don’t have an education and my rap sheet isn’t the best, so I knew I needed to do something. But […]
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 […]
Second Chance Supporter – Bozard Ford Lincoln Dealership
April is Second Chance Month, a time when we celebrate those in our communities who are committed to helping people make the most of their second chances following incarceration. As President Biden recently stated in his Proclamation on Second Chance Month, 2021: “America’s criminal justice system must offer meaningful opportunities for redemption and rehabilitation. After […]
Second Chance Supporter – Ashley HomeStore
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 […]
Second Chance Supporter – Harbinger – Sign of the Future
Operation New Hope would like to extend our sincere thanks to Harbinger Signs for their generous donation for exterior signage at our Ready4Work St. Johns County program location. Harbinger is a custom sign fabricator of commercial sign systems for multi-location, regional and national brands. We are so fortunate to benefit from their creative, professional sign expertise […]
Second Chance Supporter – Marketing Students at UNF
Marketing students from the University of North Florida (UNF) prove they believe Second Chances Matter during a recent class project supporting Operation New Hope. For the semester-long group project – Understanding Market Segments of Social Service Consumers: Operation New Hope, students were asked to develop marketing campaigns for the local nonprofit. The assignment was to […]
Second Chance Supporter – Maple Street Biscuit Company
Maple Street Biscuit Company is truly living up to their mission to “Help People, Serve Others, Be a Part of the Community.” Operation New Hope is thankful for their partnership and we look forward to working together to help people make the most of their second chances.
Voices of Hope – Aaron F.
Drugs and doing stuff to get drugs sent me to prison. I started using when I was 13 and I went to prison 8 times. Every time I got out, it was the same thing. I’d spend 2 years in and then spend 6 months out. And when I got sentenced to 10 years the […]
Voices of Hope – Richard S.
Richard Smith grew up in St. Augustine, Florida where he was raised by his grandmother. “My mom gave us up and that lack of love led me to the streets. I had a good job, but I just got greedy. Money becomes a drug too, and I got lost in it all. There is no […]
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 […]
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 […]