“No matter how bleak or menacing a situation may appear, it does not entirely own us. It can’t take away our freedom to respond, our power to take action.” This is a story about a courageous and resilient father, who refused to let his past mistakes define him and never stopped working towards his dream of a stable future for his family.
The Fight Forward
Jeremy and his son were facing homelessness when he was laid off from his job during the pandemic. He knew he had to act quickly to support his family. Exhausting his previous work connections, Jeremy went through the ringer interviewing for jobs and getting rejection after rejection. He was even turned away from homeless shelters due to his criminal background and a pending case he was fighting in court.
Jeremy was down on his luck. He didn’t have housing, transportation, or employment. Though he was qualified for high-paying jobs in IT with his previous work experience, he found that his criminal background kept from him getting certain jobs due to the security clearance that was required. Jeremy was at his wit’s end. He was tired, discouraged, disappointed, frustrated, and every feeling in between. But Jeremy dreamed of landing a job and securing stable housing and transportation for him and his son. He would stop at nothing until those dreams came true.
No Stone Left Unturned
Jeremy came into our facility full of determination. He was quickly enrolled in the Wisconsin Works (W2) program where he met his new W2 Case Manager, Amanda Lewis who he’d meet with multiple times per week to talk through updates and other avenues of opportunity that Jeremy hadn’t explored yet. After being denied opportunities over and over, Amanda encouraged him to keep trying and was soon able to connect him with partners who could help him find shelter. She connected him to SWCAP and our Emergency Assistance program to help him pay for a motel so he and his son could have a place to stay while he job searched.
Though the battles were tough, Jeremy was incredibly resilient throughout his journey. Door after door was slammed in Jeremy’s face, yet he still had the courage to keep knocking. He continued to work with our Job Developers to apply for jobs, take interviews, and submit housing applications to every place imaginable. Soon, his knock was finally answered. Jeremy ended up securing a high-paying IT remote position as a Systems Administrator.
“He is one of the most resilient people I’ve ever worked with. Even on days he felt like giving up, he still tried. He utilized his resources and kept faith that his situation would get better, and it did because of his efforts” boasts his case manager, Amanda.
A Door Finally Opened
With a long-awaited door finally opening, Jeremy’s self-confidence had been restored. His luck is now turning around. Since getting employment, his court case has been thrown out and all charges have been dismissed. Jeremy is now setting more goals for the future including permanent housing, purchasing a vehicle, and maintaining his employment to advance to a management position.
Congratulations Jeremy! Your resilience is truly inspiring. We are so incredibly proud of you!
Jeremy benefitted from the following services:
