Voices of Hope – Jazmin Y.

“I am originally from New York and moved to Florida when I was 17 years old, a senior in high school. I got into an unhealthy relationship that lasted 7 or 8 years. We had a bad breakup, which led to me doing time. While I was in prison, I heard about Operation New Hope and started learning more about it and asking my family about it. I had a lot of goals for myself and my life for when I got out, so I decided to attend the Ready4Work program.

“I wanted my team to know that I was dedicated to not be in & out of prison. I wanted to truly change and was ready to be challenged. My team always supported me in that and pointed me in the right direction. I am so grateful to my Job Coach Mike, my Therapist Meredith, and my Case Manager Monae.

“I attended classes everyday and became acquainted with my job coach and team. I was very open and transparent with them. I was motivated to get to work on my goals and worked with them to set a plan. They made it so easy. The first thing I wanted to do was get a job to be able to support myself and my family. To do that, I knew I didn’t want a minimum wage job.

“They listened and set me up with some higher paying job options. While I was looking for these jobs, I held a position where I made $12 an hour, and after some searching found a job making $19.50 per hour. That position had a three-round interview process, I am a well-spoken and confident person so I was not nervous, but my team was still with me through all of it.

“My team helped me get my own place after being in transitional housing and helped me get my driver’s license. I had just relocated to Orlando alone, so I relied on them heavily for support. We were in constant communication, and they were with me every step of the way. Now in my new position I am able to work from home. As a mother, this was always the goal. I have my own place, my own vehicle, my driver’s license, and I am off probation. Even after my year after graduating from Ready4Work , my team said I can always reach out to them for any assistance.