Voices of Hope – Jacques D.
“After several years in prison, I got tired of being stagnant. I decided I needed to put things from my past to the side. I came to the realization that prison is a university, and I was going to make the most of that education. I started studying, reading, and learning in order to broaden […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 – 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 […]
Voices of Hope – Katie M.
I served 3 1/2 years at Gadsden Correctional for grand theft. The day I got sentenced I cried so hard because my daughter was almost 4 at the time. I was so sad to leave her because her father didn’t even know her allergies and had never even given her a bathbefore. As I was […]
Voices of Hope – Kedra C.
In 2019, I was working as a caregiver for an older woman. When she passed away, I was falsely accused of stealing from her and was eventually charged with a crime I didn’t commit. I lost all faith in the justice system and felt like I’d never be ok again. I gave up hope. When […]
Voices of Hope – Taniko H.
I was working as a nurse and addicted to pain meds. I was arrested on August 8, 2018 after taking drugs from the hospital where I worked. I had never been arrested before and found myself in jail for the first time, charged with a felony. I was sentenced to drug rehab surrounded by people […]
Second Chances Really Do Matter!
Being in the business of hope is so rewarding. Sometimes we make a connection so deep with one of our Ready4Work clients that all of us here at Operation New Hope are all moved by it. Richard M. is one of those examples. At last week’s Ready4Work graduation celebration, Richard shared how much the program […]
Voices of Hope – Sharnika W.
“Since graduating from the Ready4Work program in 2010, my life has changed so much. I have gone on to work as a caterer at a high volume hotel in Miami Beach, and I was a contestant on two Food Network competitions. I’ve recently been building my own catering business – Cake Dreams of Miami. My goal is to grow my catering business into a full brand, and ultimately, I would love to have a kitchen that is run entirely by formerly incarcerated individuals. I want to give back to society the way Operation New Hope gave to me.”
Voices of Hope – William Carroll
I was hopeless, homeless, and a drug addict. I sold drugs, and I was my best client. I was so allergic to using that every time I did, I would end up in handcuffs. I was a 6 time convicted felon in and out of jail and prison. I could lie and make it sound […]