Operation New Hope

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And then when I did get my second chance, it was just like I'm gonna make it, I'm gonna do it you know. So I knew at that point that I had to step up because that's not the life that I wanted to live.
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I've been homeless in Jacksonville for the last three years, living on the streets. Six months clean and serene, and Operation New Hope is teaching me a lot.
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Thank you ONH, I thank God for ONH.
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Returning citizens face many challenges integrating back into the community after incarceration. Our mission at Operation New Hope is to provide support, life and job skills training to the formerly incarcerated and place them in employment that offers a sustainable quality of life. Implementing a four-pronged approach (case management, supportive services, job training, and job placement assistance), our Ready4Work ensures each client receives custom holistic care.

In 2003, President George W. Bush selected Operation New Hope as the pilot site for the Ready4Work program and it has been recognized as one of the most experienced reentry service providers ever since. We have been praised by the last four White House Administrations. On a recent visit, HUD Secretary Ben Carson, said about Ready4Work, "I don't think there is any better (program) than this."

Ready4Work saves taxpayers millions of critical dollars a year that can be reinvested back into communities to help address the root causes of incarceration - poverty, lack of quality affordable housing, limited education, mental illness, and substance abuse. The success of the program is evident in the transformation of clients, enhanced hiring practices for the employment partners, healthier communities and families, and better public safety through reduced recidivism.

Upon acceptance into the program and completing a risk assessment process, participants are required to attend a comprehensive 4-week career development training course. Each participant is partnered with a case manager and job coach to provide guidance and support, leading to a job placement with one of the program's employment partners. Additionally, participants have access to a licensed mental health clinician for counseling support and to volunteer life coaches to model positive social skills. It is irrefutable - once a client gets a job that offers a sustainable quality of life, recidivism is dramatically reduced. Case managers work 1:1 with clients to create an individualized plan of care which assists with overcoming common barriers upon re-entrance into the community. We provide support with:

Transitional housing assistance for up to 3 months;
Free bus passes for 3 months;
Access to wellness / health care;
Professional attire for interviews;
Assistance obtaining vital documents (birth certificate/drivers license);
Help coordinating reinstatement of a suspended license in certain situations.

We stay connected to the client for a full year acting as the central point of contact to assure the client stays on track and to provide support when needed.

Operation New Hope was founded to address the problems facing Jacksonville's Historic Springfield community poverty, crime, homelessness, disrepair, and drug addiction. By initially employing neighborhood residents as craftsmen and laborers to build and restore more than 80 homes throughout the Springfield and Eastside neighborhoods, the organization successfully brought together a community once lost to blight, poverty, and outright neglect.

The organization's success caught the attention of the most powerful office in the world and in 2003, President George W. Bush selected Operation New Hope as the pilot site for the Ready4Work program.

Operation New Hope has truly transformed Jacksonville into the City of Second Chances. Now celebrating its 20th anniversary, Operation New Hope is poised to expand services, planning additional locations, exploring social enterprises, and incorporating restorative justice. It is with great hope that we will continue growing, bringing the Ready4Work program to cities all over Florida and beyond, leading to many Cities of Second Chances!

Our contact info:

Operation New Hope

904-354-HOPE
info@operationnewhope.com
1830 N. Main Street, Jacksonville, Florida 32206
https://operationnewhope.org/