Region 7
A participant was referred to Jobs & Hope by Potomac Highlands Guild. He was unemployed and began part time work after getting his license back through a Jobs & Hope licensing referral. He completed a Recovery Coach Academy program through Blue Ridge CTC and is now employed full time with South Branch Valley Day Report Center.
A participant was referred by Adult Education. She is a mutual client of Jobs & Hope, DRS, DHHR, TANF, and Adult Education. She was referred because transportation was a barrier along with not having her driver’s license. Through Jobs & Hope she was able to settle outstanding licensing requirements and obtain her driver’s license while receiving transportation support to participate in job training. She is now employed with Goodwill, finishing her TASC testing, and received a vehicle through a partnership with Good News Mountaineer Garage. She says, “I’m so happy now. I thank Jobs & Hope for everything they have done for me.”
One Jefferson County participant was referred by the Berkeley Day Report Center and 23rd Circuit Court Adult Drug Court. He completed Recovery Coach training through Blue Ridge CTC and is currently employed, full time with benefits, as a Peer Recovery Support Specialist with Berkeley County Recovery Resource Center. He got his license back from a Jobs & Hope licensing referral and also received dental work through a referral. His anticipated drug court completion date is April 2021. He said: “When I first joined the Jobs & Hope program I had so many barriers and obstacles standing in my way. Fines, DUI classes, tickets, etc. After joining the program, I was able to get my license back quickly, take the training I needed for the field I wanted and currently work in today. I was able to get the dental care that I desperately needed but couldn’t afford. I was plugged into resources and programs that I had no prior knowledge of. The Jobs & Hope program removed all the stumbling blocks that prevented me from getting my life back on track. Through Jobs & Hope, everything that once seemed impossible, became possible!”
One Mineral County participant is now a full-time staff member in the same recovery house she graduated from. She was in a hopeless situation before Jobs & Hope and now she has a Job, her own apartment, and a vehicle. The certification she received through Blue Ridge has changed her life forever. She says Jobs & Hope is “Giving hope to the hopeless!”
