Nancy's Story

Nancy needed a job and heard that the Goodwill Job Connection was a good place to start. She met with Jessica, a Career Development Facilitator about employment. She said she was hoping to get a job at Goodwill because she heard that they work with people like herself; she had limitations with standing and lifting – and then she began to cry. Jessica decided she needed to find out more.

Nancy told Jessica that she had a difficult relationship with her family. While she was in the hospital recovering from hip replacement surgery, her family had evicted her from her home, where she lived with her mom. She recently relocated from the east coast of Florida after living in a hotel as she couldn’t’ find an affordable apartment, quickly depleting her $35,000 in savings. While staying at the hotel, she frequently witnessed drug deals resulting in police cars coming into the parking lot at all times of the day.

A friend encouraged her to move to the west coast of Florida and helped her find a room to rent. Because of her depleted savings, Nancy was soon two months behind on rent and at risk of being homeless once again. Now, Jessica could clearly understand why Nancy felt like crying. She also knew that she could help.

She helped Nancy apply for Season of Sharing funds; the application was approved which allowed Nancy to pay off her overdue rent. Next, Jessica enrolled Nancy in the Job Connection program and helped her update her resume and create an Indeed account. Then, Jessica referred Nancy to Centerstone for mental health counseling services, as Nancy needed to speak with a counselor to work through her recent traumatic experiences.

Jessica checked out a number of job leads for Nancy, but none of them seemed to be a good fit. Finally, she spoke with the Program Director for the AARP Senior Community Employment Program. She learned that the program was for older workers with limited income. AARP served as the employer and placed older workers in not-for profits. Jessica knew Nancy would benefit from this program and she would be able to work despite her physical limitations. Nancy joined AARP and was happy to hear she would be working in the Goodwill Job Connection!

Today, Nancy still rents a room near Goodwill and works 20 hours each week. She loves her new position; her job at Goodwill allows her to interact with people daily. She feels that she is helping the people who come to the Job Connection by assisting in finding the resources they need. She says that working with others who have fallen on hard times has helped her understand that she is not alone. Her job has helped her to heal some of her own wounds when she was homeless and looking for a job.

Nancy is glad that Goodwill was there when she needed a hand-up… It’s what we do.