Diana successfully completed Plates' Employment Training Program and graduated in July, 2011

Gerine successfully completed Plate's Employment Training Program and graduated in July 2011

Vinita successfully completed Plate's Employment Training Program and graduated in January, 2012.

Keysia had a good job in retail and a comfortable apartment with daughters Keysia and Shawniece.  When the recession hit, she lost her job and learned that the apartment she was paying rent on was in foreclosure.  She came to St. John’s for shelter.  “I felt embarrassed, stressed out,” recalls Keysia.  “I was searching for jobs, but there was nothing.”  Without any income, Keysia felt she had lost her independence.

“When you hear ‘shelter,’ you think of something scary,” says Keysia.  “But St. John’s is run like a program.”  Keysia accessed the many career resources available to residents of the shelter.  In the computer lab she searched for jobs, and she used her retail experience to run the shelter’s “boutique,” which supplies professional clothing to residents for job interviews.  

St. John’s helped Keysia find housing through the Faith and Homeless Families Initiative, but she still encountered many obstacles while trying to find work.  Working at Plates Café helps Keysia learn new skills and build her resume, so future employers can see her commitment to doing steady work.  

Keysia’s experience has given her a new perspective on life.  “Homelessness can happen to anybody at any given time,” she says.  “What’s important is that you stay focused on getting back on your feet.”

Bonnie and her daughter Amerion spent three days on a train from Kansas City so she could reunite with her daughters Riviana and Airrea in Sacramento.  Although excited to be with all three girls, Bonnie had no job and no support system.  She found shelter at St. John’s.   

Bonnie’s journey in the program was lengthy and difficult.  She was in and out of the shelter four times.  At her lowest point, a CPS case was opened when Bonnie came to her children’s school intoxicated.  During her fourth stay, she entered a treatment program at the encouragement of her case manager.  After completing inpatient treatment, Bonnie regained custody of her children.  She now lives in St. John’s Supportive Housing at Greenway Village.  

It has been five years since Bonnie held a steady job.  Plates Café is an entirely new experience, and Bonnie feels confident about her training in the kitchen.  “I love washing dishes,” she says with a smile.  “I know they’re going to be clean because I washed them.”  

Of her co-workers, Bonnie has only the highest regard.  “We’ve all been at St. John’s together, and now we are learning together, out in the workforce,” she reflects.  “I am doing my best by showing my dedication, to them and to myself.”

Drug addiction and financial difficulty caused LaShondra to become homeless.  Every time she tried to bounce back, her addiction threw her off track again.  “I finally realized that I still had problems, and they weren’t going away,” she says.

Lashondra sought help at St. John’s, but she was scared.  She didn’t know how to meet new people and share her story – what if they judged her?  Her worried diminished as soon as she entered the door of the shelter.  What made it all better?  “The people!” she exclaims jubilantly.  “Just the open arms, the welcoming, the receptiveness…all of my questions were answered.”  LaShondra quickly developed goals for herself – build a resume, work on her self esteem, and get her education together.  “I didn’t realize how far I could go in ninety days,” she adds.

 

LaShondra successfully completed Plate's Employment Training Program and graduated July 2011.

Along with working on her GED and actively searching for housing, LaShondra keeps busy training at Plates Café.  “I’ve been out of the workforce for years.  Plates is helping me show future employers – and myself – that I can work for a long period of time.”  LaShondra enjoys being part of a team, and keeping customers happy at the front.  “I like to make sure people are doing well and getting what they want,” she says proudly.

When Karen got sick, it seemed to have a domino effect upon her life.  Her husband left, she lost her job, her savings, and then her condo.  Staying with family did not work out – neither did her attempt to move to a new state.  Stressed and in need of permanent housing for her young son Alec, Karen found herself at St. John’s.

Like many shelter residents, Karen struggled with difficult roommates and depression about her situation.  But she also formed bonds with staff members and began to recognize how St. John’s could help.  In time she moved to Serna Village, where she still lives and facilitates an art group for other residents.

“I see training at Plates Café as an opportunity to express my gratitude,” says Karen.  “I’ve had second and third chances to start over; I got well and got up when life knocked me down.  Now I have time to give to this project.”  

Karen works at the back of the house – she feels like she has more control working behind the scenes.  She is enthusiastic about the future.  “I can’t wait to see what the universe brings from all of this group effort.”

Carmen was tired of being “out there”: no stable home for herself and her daughter, Lucia, and surrounded by all the wrong people.  “I couldn’t go to my family, but I needed to get my feet back on the ground,” she says.  Her counselor at Mercy PRN, where she was attending outpatient treatment for her drug addiction, referred her to St. John’s.

Although she had some fears, Carmen was excited to get a new chance at success.  Living in the shelter made Carmen grateful -- she saw that her situation could be much worse, and that inspired her to reach out and help fellow clients.  

Now seventeen months clean and living in her own home at Quinn Cottages, Carmen enjoys the freedom of her new life and continues to work on her own growth.  She likes inviting friends and family over for dinner, and is focused on getting her driver’s license restored.

Working at Plates Café offers Carmen stability and helps her stay sober.  “I like getting here, being on time, suiting up for the job,” she says with determination.  In the Plates kitchen, Carmen learns different styles of cooking, skills she will keep as she works towards her goal of someday opening her own restaurant.

“I didn’t want to go to a shelter,” says Melanie.  “I didn’t want to admit I was at that point.”  Melanie was unemployed, and scared.  Thanks to a spending problem she calls “huge,” she had no savings.  She stomped the pavement daily to hand out her resume.  A fast food chain finally hired her, but the low pay and sparse hours kept her precariously close to homelessness.  

Right after she found out she was pregnant with her son Kason, Melanie was unable to pay the rent.  She had no choice but to come to St. John’s.  “I started to think about it, I prayed, and I realized that maybe it could be a good thing,” she says.  Melanie jumped right into the community at the shelter, volunteering at shelter events and giving tours to visitors and donors.  With her polite and cheerful demeanor, she stood out as an obvious choice to begin training at Plates Café.

Melanie is now focused on finding housing and building her job skills at Plates, where she works as a cashier, greeting diners with her warm smile.  She continues to take classes at the shelter, and focuses in particular on her Budgeting class so she won’t wind up jobless and penniless again.  “I’m extremely grateful that there is a program available for me,” she says, relieved. “I don’t feel hopeless anymore.”