Jason’s Story: This Wasn’t Supposed to Happen

Jason never imagined he’d become homeless. He had a law degree, a successful 20-year career in human resources, and a strong faith background. But after a job loss, personal trauma, and unhealthy coping mechanisms, his life unraveled, and he found himself with no resources, no home, and nowhere to go. 

In this episode, Jason shares his story of situational homelessness and the emotional toll of losing everything. He explains how Atlanta Mission’s structured programming and spiritual community helped him regain his footing, reclaim his purpose, and rebuild his future. 

We’re also joined by Anthony Green Jr., a vocational specialist at Atlanta Mission, who explains how the Next Steps and Transformations programs are designed to not just restore employment, but identity, dignity, and direction. 

Transcript

Jason: [00:00:00] Being the kind of person that I, that I've. Been throughout my adult life. I lost everything. At one time, I felt unseen. When my family didn't respond, I had absolutely no clue where to go because I've never looked at this, this, um, possibility before. I never thought this would happen. Bouncing around to different resources that, that don't do this kind of thing, I thought I'm never gonna be able to find a plateau to stand on. 

What do you do? 'cause I can't go home again and I have no resources at this point. So that's kind of when reality struck and I knew I had to find this kind of thing and it was available somewhere.  

Rachel: Welcome to Unseen Atlanta and Atlanta Mission Podcast, where we shine a light on some of the city's toughest issues. 

We tell true stories of real people who've experienced homelessness and addiction. We're also gonna bring you insights from experts who give context to some of these issues. I'm your host, Rachel Reynolds.  

Jonathan: And I'm Jonathan Miller, your co-host. So Rachel, uh, we [00:01:00] have Jason today.  

Rachel: Wow.  

Jonathan: Yeah.  

Rachel: I wasn't expecting him when he walked in. 

And I think you guys aren't gonna be expecting it either. Mm-hmm. Because it definitely gives you a totally different view of what homelessness looks like. I think we have in our mind that homelessness is the person on the side of the road asking for money or someone who's been homeless a long time. 

But I think Jason, not to. Not to give away too much, but I think Jason really totally busts a lot of those events. Turns  

Jonathan: that upside down. He does. He  

Rachel: does. And he talks a lot about how there's a difference between chronic homelessness and situational homelessness. Yeah. And he just found himself in a situation where. 

There was nowhere to go. There was no nowhere to go. So there's a lot of different things in the story. So I really hope you guys take some things from this story and just think about what are those misconceptions you have around homelessness and what it looks like. So enjoy listening. Hey Jason.  

Hi. How are you? 

Good. How are you doing? I'm doing great.  

Rachel: How are you feeling today?  

Very well, [00:02:00] thank you. Thank you for having me.  

Rachel: Yes. Thanks for being here. Sure. So. Wanna get a little bit about your story today? So tell us a little bit about where you're from.  

Jason: Uh, from Mobile, Alabama, born and raised. Can you hear that accent? 

Yeah. It's a little bit of southern accent. You learn to control it if you can. I know, but you know what they say. You can't show  

Rachel: all your cards.  

Jason: No, no. It's the southern accent that makes the English language romantic. So I don't mind.  

Rachel: Huh? Never heard that one.  

Jason: That's what that is. Okay. So yeah, mobile, Alabama, born and raised. 

Uh, my education was there at Spring Hill College, Jesuit College.  

Rachel: Were you Jesuit?  

Jason: No, I was not Jesuit, just Catholic. Oh yeah. Grew  

Rachel: up Catholic. Okay. Grew up  

Jason: Catholic. 16 years of Catholic education. Uh, we were talking before, I have a degree in developmental psychology from there. Wow. Went into law school, focused on business and got a master's degree as well in human resources. 

And that's been my focus for the last 20 years.  

Rachel: And you said, we were talking a little bit before you said you originally wanted to do education.  

Jason: Um, I wanted to be a child advocate.  

Rachel: A child advocate. Child  

Jason: advocate in the, in the [00:03:00] prosecutor's office was my original thought.  

Rachel: What made you wanna do that?  

Jason: Uh, looking for a noble cause, you know, what, what can you do outside of looking for money? 

I mean, money is one thing, but you have to love what you do for your entire life. So something to clinging to would be, would've been that. Um, like I say, it was a bit, it was a little bit emotionally taxing for my personal. Yeah. Or makeup. But what I did like was business and I went into that and I've enjoyed it and I've had the, um, for, I've been fortunate to work for some businesses with Noble cause and animal health and pharmaceuticals and been able to, you know, stay motivated through that. 

Okay. That's what motivates me.  

Rachel: So you got outta college then what'd you do?  

Jason: Well, I got married in law school. Um, we were married for some time. Ended up being divorced and focused on my career and moving around the southeast. I've had, um, I've been employed with five major, um, fortune 500 companies in my, I. 

In my time, professional development has been something that I've focused on, uh, and, you know, keeping things going. So this has been a shock, the fact that [00:04:00] I've, I've had to come into the mission for some assistance, but you just never know what life has took away. I know. I  

Rachel: feel, yeah. This is, I'm excited to hear anticipating what the, the turn in the story is. 

Tell us about. Coming to Atlanta.  

Jason: So coming to Atlanta was interesting. I'd gotten divorced and I was, um, trying to, I get going through that young phase of trying to find myself coming here and really understanding, you know, my sexuality and, um, coming, coming to Atlanta is a little bit of a gay mecca. 

Yeah. And that's,  

yeah,  

Jason: that's what I discovered while I was here. And at that time there was a revolution going on, I think in Atlanta.  

Rachel: What period of time was this?  

Jason: This was, uh, nineties to early two thousands. Okay. Really getting to know a, a large group of people and coming into a community Okay. Of, of understanding and finding myself. 

Rachel: So growing up in the south  

Jason: Yeah.  

Rachel: Your sexuality, how did that play out?  

Jason: Um, it, you're  

Rachel: smiling, so I feel like there's a story there. It is  

Jason: an evolution. Okay. You know, uh, [00:05:00] you, you, because, because you  

Rachel: probably grew up in a very conservative south and being in the Catholic.  

Jason: Yeah. And coming, well, it was a liberal arts education, so there was somewhat of an open mind, but you have to come to terms with it for yourself and then determine how the people in your life will navigate. 

Mm-hmm.  

Jason: Uh, to the other end. And, uh, my family's very accepting. You know, I, I was many years with a huge group of friends, but it's at one point everyone sort of scattered to the wind with, um, different career choices and moving to different cities. It was a party atmosphere and, um, that eventually came in on me and I had some decisions to make about what I would do. 

What would I, what would I leave behind? And in that process of leaving that kind of atmosphere behind, uh, having the wrong people around and making some of the wrong decisions, I faced a little bit of a financial crisis. I was robbed and evicted and, uh, no family around here, but, um, I had to find a place to be. 

Rachel: So that's what happened to bring you to Atlanta Mission?  

Jason: That's what happened. To bring me to the mission. So you've been in  

Rachel: Atlanta since  

Jason: 2007?  

Rachel: [00:06:00] 2007. Okay. Yeah. So you've spent. Your time in Atlanta has been, you were working for these Fortune five hundreds, correct?  

Jason: Yes.  

Rachel: Okay. Talk a little bit about. What brought you to the doors of Atlanta Mission? 

Jason: I was in my last position with Bower Ingelheim, um, and I'm not sure I would want to say that out loud, but with, with the company I was working for, yeah, there was a job, Ali elimination, uh, in connection with a merger, and I was fortunate enough to get a buyout, which meant I had a, I had some choices to make about free time or going back to work. 

Yeah. And I took that free time, uh, uh, to pursue some personal interest in creative writing in the publishing process. I leaned a little bit too heavily on my. On that party kind of life, drugs became an issue.  

Okay.  

Jason: Which I faced. Um, and I've certainly know where to go, um, and who to talk to. And, um, were drugs  

Rachel: something that you had ever done in your childhood or  

Jason: not at all? 

Rachel: So what made you, what made you like go into that space?  

Jason: I think that. It's the community, um, that [00:07:00] revolution that we're going through to find ourselves. Drugs have become a, a come somewhat of an issue, at least for some of us. I had to face that fact, and I did come to grips with what that meant. And like I say, I know where to go and I know who to talk to and I can stand up and not say my name and not. 

Define myself as one thing or another, but I know what that is. In an effort to push that outta my life and not working the wrong, people were around and things were disappearing and I wasn't paying attention. And before I knew it, I found myself, uh, evicted and nowhere to go. A bit estranged from my family at this point, you know, I don't know what's been happening since I was gone, but like I say, strong faith. 

In Catholicism, um, our whole lives. And then all of a sudden I'm hearing this is so strange, but satanism has come into the, um, into the forefront with my family. Never heard that in my life, but I've heard my brother say it. My mother's acting very strangely, so I had to separate myself and really defined who I am from a faith standpoint. 

I don't speak to them. [00:08:00] Unless I have to, uh, which is hard. Um, but coming into the mission, I saw a program that focused on professional development and the real parts of life, uh, to get me back where I needed to be. So it's just helped me refocus and deal with some legal issues as well. So that's kind of what brought me here. 

Jonathan: How would you, um, describe your faith  

Jason: now? Very strong. I very strong. I I, there have been times, I don't know what I would've done if I didn't know there was something more beyond this life and that there would be more past the troubles that I'm dealing with. I mean, I, I lost everything. I mean,  

Rachel: yeah. What was that like? 

What did that feel like? Because it doesn't seem like that was something you had experienced before.  

Jason: Never. So  

Rachel: what kind of toll did that take on you mentally and emotionally  

Jason: having gone through? Uh, my own career path and my own personal journey, I thought, well, surely I can handle it, everything.  

Rachel: Right? 

Jason: And there was a short period of time that I thought, well, I'll be sleeping in my car. [00:09:00] And I did. I. For a while until, what was that  

Rachel: like?  

Jason: Horrible.  

Rachel: Yeah. Tell me about it.  

Jason: So I figured, well, I'll call my parents and that was a no go. I'll call my brothers and sisters and there was a very strange interaction about what they believe and what they would do if I ever came back, I could do that, but you can't sleep in your car and they're, the resources are limited. 

Um, and in doing research and finding the Atlanta mission, I understood that this is just another hurdle and there are resources there, and kind of made me feel proud to be in a society where this is available and you can find the runway back to your life after, you know, facing bad decisions or circumstance, whatever it is. 

Uh, and it's not all just individuals who find themselves living on the streets chronically. This is an opportunity to bounce back from a plateau. And not define yourself by a disaster in your life.  

Rachel: Were you embarrassed by the situation you found yourself in?  

Jason: I was. You know, there were times I could look back and see that [00:10:00] if I'd made a different decision, this would've just gone. 

To the wayside, and I could have continued what I was doing, but in being here and, and uh, finding spiritual strength and, uh, an advisor and, you know, uh, Bible studies that would help recenter what I was thinking, I realized who I am and I'm still the same person. And there's light at the end of the tunnel. 

So I don't have to define myself by what's happened. It's a part of my story, and it will really only make me stronger in the end. Embarrassed, yes. But that quickly turns into motivation, and I'll never say embarrassed to anyone else. It's what happened. You deal with it, those moments are what will define you. 

And all I'll ever be able to say is that I was strong enough to do it. So Jason, can you just tell us what it  

Jonathan: felt like to walk through the doors of Atlanta mission?  

Jason: It took a hard swallow, you know, I mean. You always figure you'd have resources available in an emergency, but mine fell apart very quickly. 

So what I had to [00:11:00] do was avoid the stigma of what was written on the door and get inside and really understand what my options might be. It felt in the moment like things were over. I mean, things came crashing down so hard and I felt stupid because in some way I feel like. I, I wanted to say to myself, you knew better than this, but not paying attention in a, in a tenuous situation is what led to this. 

And they were help. They were quick to say, sit down and let's talk about these things. There's a clinician available. Let's talk about what you need emotionally and what you need to really move on from this rather than focus on it for too long. And I think what hit me. The hardest is when my advocate looked across the desk and said, I want you to settle in. 

And my initial thought was, I have no choice. There's, I'm here for a solution. And that's what it was. I settled in and I, I. I got myself in the right mental space and they were there to do it. What I, you know, having been through treatment before, that's a [00:12:00] different environment. That's a little bit unforgiving. 

That's, you know, all about you facing what you've done to yourself or whatever that is. This is something different. I. Don't face those issues anymore. And this was about a life crisis and we're all there for different reasons. And I realized that quickly I will realize what my purpose is here. And that's, uh, runway back to the professional life I had before. 

And then there are some that have faced chronic homelessness. There are some that are there because of a drug problem. And there's specific lines of help for that really. Enlightening to know, you know, I'm here and this is available and it happened this time, and it won't likely happen again, and the professionals are here to help you through it. 

Rachel: So you'd gone through treatment before? I have. Back when you were kind of in that spiral,  

Jason: right?  

Rachel: Was it inpatient, outpatient?  

Jason: I, I put myself through an inpatient program. Okay. Uh, it was two months.  

Rachel: Okay.  

Jason: And I did that.  

Rachel: Did you feel like you got the help you needed?  

Jason: I did. I got the help I needed and I did. I did that for myself. 

Because like I say, I was coming into the, [00:13:00] uh, coming into that kind of understanding of who I was. Yeah. You know, I am a lot of  

Rachel: experimentation. It sounds like it. That's  

Jason: what it is. I'm part of a community, but that part of the community I need to walk away from. Yeah. And it's, it was a personal choice and I keep that with me all the time. 

You know, I, I remind myself all the time, you're gold chip and you're past this. And you don't define yourself by that, by that. Episode, I'm talking about it now. 'cause I think it's useful for people that come into this for whatever reason, don't run away from what that is. If it's a part of your story, then let it be a part of your story. 

But you don't define yourself by one thing or another. And it's a fu It's a future focused effort. When you get here, that's the only thing that matters. Get yourself to the other end.  

Jonathan: I'm really curious, um, about your faith. Yes. It sounds like your faith. Gave you a lot of hope. It did. Kept you going as you were going through this experience as you're walking through the doors. 

How did that challenge your faith?  

Jason: Did it, there were times, you know, you find yourself asking, why me? You know, [00:14:00] but, uh, it's, I've always understood faith and prayer can take you so far and understanding of what's past, what you know in the physical is what will get you through, but you still have to put in the effort. 

Um, did it challenge my faith? I was angry. Hmm. But holding onto what I know, uh, outside of the physical is, is something that I hold dear to me. So I'll always be that kind of thing. What got  

Jonathan: you through being angry at God? Like what was the turning point?  

Jason: Understanding that the resources were there and it was already in me to turn this around and it, you know. 

I, I'll bring it forward. You know, you can't relax when it comes to those kinds of things. I, I lost sight of the people around me and what I needed to focus on because I was in a creative frame of mind and, uh, maybe slipping on some other decisions that I'd made in the past about sobriety. But these resources have helped me refocus, and I'm, I'm right back where I was [00:15:00] at this point, so it's good. 

Rachel: Yeah. Let's talk about your time at Atlanta Mission.  

Jason: Sure.  

Rachel: What's it been like? How long have you been there?  

Jason: Been there a few months now.  

Rachel: Okay.  

Jason: Yeah. So  

Rachel: how's it been?  

Jason: It's been good. It's very regimented. And they, they let you know quickly what the resources look like. Do you like that? I do like that. Okay. I like to have a plan in front of me. 

See,  

Rachel: I'm not a regimented person. No.  

Jason: In this case you have to be. I know.  

Rachel: I, I, it would, I'd have to change a lot.  

Jason: Yeah. You have to be. No. And the, the courses that are available. Um, they line it out for you very quickly. Okay. You know, it's interactive if you need more than some than, than just that, that the clinicians are available and the advocates are there for you to talk about what your options might be to get you to the other side. 

I'm being able to focus on a professional development opportunity while I'm there and, um, you know, I went through the next Steps program.  

Rachel: Oh, you did?  

Jason: I did. Oh,  

Rachel: awesome. How was it?  

Jason: It pretty good. Helped you brush up on professional skills and time management and professionalism. It's intense. It is very interactive. 

Um, and then at the end of that time, you can go through a guided job search. Yeah. [00:16:00] With a coach. And I, I've done this before. That's my line of work, but it's been great to help me focus on what I need to do next. And um, you know, I've had many interviews at this point and it's hiring season now, so fingers crossed, I was, like I say, I wasn't working at the time by choice, but it's time to go back to work and I still have the skills to do it. 

Mm-hmm. And a new certification to make everything look great. Oh, you do? Yes. I do, I got a new certification in mediation skills.  

Okay. And  

Jason: that's gonna help me in my chosen field of human resources. Yeah, yeah. Employee relations and investigations and risk mitigation. And another in, uh, I'll be a senior professional in human resources with that license or that certification. 

So Awesome. They've helped me get myself right back where I need to be. Wow. It sounds like you've really  

Rachel: used the resources to help you get it. Absolutely. Have a plan, have a plan.  

Jason: Go in with a plan. Most certainly, and they'll help you achieve those goals. And individuals who just don't know what to do, there's spiritual guidance and then, you know, professional guidance as well. 

It's a, it's a fully [00:17:00] rounded program and you'll walk out knowing what your next step will be.  

Rachel: We did not pay him to say this. 

You're beautifully saying all the services we provide, so thank you. Yeah, that's what it is. So what does the future look like for you?  

Jason: Um, I, you know, at this point I'm keeping things basic. It's going to be the, you don't  

Rachel: seem like a basic guy. No.  

Jason: I'll, I'll very quickly. You know, I, I keep telling myself I'm about to take off and fly. 

It'll be that kind of thing, you know, it'll be the next. Logical step in my professional career. I've not lost anything. You know, there for a while I thought, my God, I have destroyed everything. Yeah. I haven't. Your life remains a private matter and you feel like you're on display when you go through these things, but you are a valuable member of society. 

You have your right to privacy and you're doing what you can mm-hmm. In your circumstances to get to the next step. So it's my next professional job. And then on to, uh, you know, I'll buy a house within 18 months. I have a savings plan and everything will be Wow, you've  

Rachel: got a plan.  

Jason: I have a [00:18:00] plan. And I don't vary from that. 

I, I concentrate on that every day,  

Rachel: all day. That's okay. Is that like what helps keep you motivated?  

Jason: That's, that's all it takes to keep  

Rachel: going. What are you hoping to reconnect with your family?  

Jason: Well, that, that was the next comment that was coming into my mind. I would like to reconnect with my family, but in, in talking with people about what's happened, if I don't, then I, I'll, I'll find. 

Connections in a different way. Yeah. You know, the family you're born into is one thing.  

Rachel: My counselor calls it it, the chosen family.  

Jason: The family you choose. Yes. Something else she, and that's true. She keeps  

Rachel: telling me, Rachel, you have to build a great chosen family. The  

family you working on, you choose is another thing. 

Yes. Yeah.  

Rachel: No, it's true. Like sometimes those family relationships are so complicated, but I think the important thing is having community around you and how do you. Build that.  

Jason: I'm looking forward to making those connections and reaching out to some old connections as well. Yeah. We've all, like I say, we scattered to the wind with different opportunities or just moving for one reason or another, but I'll make those connections again and I'll look back and realize what this was all [00:19:00] about, you know? 

Yeah. Yeah.  

Jonathan: Throughout this whole experience, you, you look back at your time experiencing homelessness. When did you feel unseen and how did it feel?  

Jason: Being the kind of person that I, that I've been throughout my adult life, I lost everything. At one time, I felt unseen. When my family didn't respond, I had absolutely no clue where to go because I've never. 

Looked at this, this, um, possibility before I never thought this would happen. Bouncing around to different resources that, that don't do this kind of thing. I thought, I'm never gonna be able to find a plateau to stand on. Mm-hmm. What do you do? Yeah. 'cause I can't go home again and I have no resources at this point. 

So that's kind of when reality struck and I knew I had to find. This kind of thing and it was available somewhere. Yeah. But I mean, any advice I would give coming in is to face what got you here, leave that where it is, and focus on your future moving forward. The platform is here, you know, you can go through the programs and get the [00:20:00] spiritual guidance you need, um, you know, motivational guidance and then also a job search to get you back where you need to be on your own and in, in a place, um, of your own without support. 

Rachel: I think the thing that has been. So good about your story is, that's a terrible word to use, but it's been so good, is you're, you kind of break a lot of misconceptions around homelessness. Mm-hmm. And so I think that's what's so powerful in your story is that we often think of people who are homeless as chronic homeless. 

They're, you know, panhandling on the street. That's not your situation.  

Jason: And, and this is a great point. I mean, so many people are only a paycheck away from crisis in their lives. Yeah. It can happen to anyone if, if you're not financially stable at this point in your life, that needs to be, I. A focus, you need a savings plan and a retirement plan before you have to tell yourself, what am I going to do next? 

Because it's, you're right, homelessness is only a paycheck away for so many people. Mm-hmm.  

Rachel: Yeah, and I think, what else struck me? I think [00:21:00] you just have such an internal drive. I'd love to know what you are in the Enneagram, right? Do you know? I don't know. Okay. Well you need to go do the task. Are we're the test. 

And then tell me.  

But you  

Rachel: have, I'm always struck by people have this internal drive of like, Hey, like I can't stay in this head space. I have to get myself. Um, I don't know if it's resiliency. I don't know if it's a survival tactic. I don't know what it is. I'm not a doctor. Right. But I like to play. So one sometimes. 

So I think that really struck me in your story is you just have this internal drive to like. Keep moving forward.  

Jonathan: Yeah. We're  

Rachel: not gonna look back. We're gonna keep moving forward. Yeah. That really spoke to me.  

Jonathan: I, I, I think along with that, the word that comes to my mind is humility.  

Rachel: Yeah.  

Jonathan: Like for you. Oh, for sure. 

Rachel: Yeah.  

Jonathan: Going through this process and having to be humbled, I. To even walk through the doors like that and accept the help.  

Jason: Yeah. You know, accept the help that's there. You know, what motivates you is is a big question. What parts of your personality you need to come to terms with? What will it take for you to grasp that future focus? 

You know, are you [00:22:00] comfortable with abstract things or do you want to know what's coming next? Yeah. So that is a good point to understand your personality and how to move forward. I like  

Rachel: abstract. He wants to know what's coming next.  

Jason: Yeah.  

Rachel: Yeah. Well, thank you so much, Jason. Thank you very much. We're so grateful that you are willing to share your story. 

Uh, we hope you guys all were able to take something from Jason's story. We really hope that you are able to see a different face of homelessness you wouldn't think about, um, and we'd love for you to tune in next time. If you made it this far into the episode, you're likely feeling the weight of these stories unseen. 

Atlanta was created to reveal the raw and unfiltered realities faced by individuals in our city struggles with addiction, homelessness, and mental health. It's heavy, but don't stop. Now we're about to turn the page to something. Life changing. Hope is coming. When someone steps through our doors, they step into an opportunity to start fresh. 

The transformation you're about to hear wouldn't be possible without our incredible partners like the Justin Landis group. Whether you're buying or selling your home in metro Atlanta, their unwavering commitment to exceptional [00:23:00] service and authentic relationships. Sets them apart. Their compassion and dedication to our community fuels stories just like these. 

A heartfelt thank you to our partner and sponsor, Justin Landis Group, because of your generosity. These stories don't end here. Now let's dive back into the episode. Wow. Jason's story was so amazing. I think it's, he really debunks a lot of myths that we have about homelessness and people who are experiencing homelessness. 

Um, and he talks a lot about, in his story, about our program that helps you with job readiness. And while he had a job for a very long time, was very successful. He talks a lot about how the, the things that he learned in our next steps program really helped him as he prepares to enter the workforce again. 

So we. Have a very special guest today. Anthony Green Jr. And he works on our next steps team here at Atlanta Mission. He is a vocational training specialist. Anthony. Hi.  

Anthony: How are you? Welcome. Good. Thank you. [00:24:00] Thank you so much. Um,  

Rachel: and Anthony, how long have you been at the Mission?  

Anthony: Okay, I'm an old man here. 

Seven years.  

Rachel: Seven years. Not as old as me. I'm an old woman.  

Anthony: Okay.  

Rachel: So, um, so. You started  

Anthony: mm-hmm.  

Rachel: Over at the men's shelter, correct? That's right. Yeah. Okay.  

Anthony: At the Jefferson? Yeah, as an ambassador.  

Rachel: Okay. So he's kind of seen the whole progression of the, the process people go through when they come to Atlanta Mission. 

So the ambassador is really at that, those first phases of our program, find hope, choose help. The ambassador is really the friend and. Guide for the clients as they move through the program, and now you're like a full circle situation. I  

Anthony: know. Because  

Rachel: now you're at the end.  

Anthony: I'm at the end and it's a wonderful place to be. 

When I wasn't an ambassador at the very beginning, I didn't know what happened at the end. Mm. It was hard to see. What happened to our clients. It's almost as if they just got lost until unfortunately. Yeah. Uh, which is what we tried to stop. We saw them again. Mm.  

So  

Anthony: this was this cycle of [00:25:00] what happened when you left here. 

But now being a part of the end, I'm able to see what that finished product looks like and now I have more control.  

Rachel: Yeah.  

Anthony: Of helping them to finish their story the way that they want to do it. Mm-hmm. Yeah.  

Rachel: And just a little bit of context. Mm-hmm. Before we dive in, Atlanta Mission had had several job readiness programs prior to, um, our next step program. 

That's right. And there is a reputable organization out of Chicago named Kara.  

Mm-hmm.  

Rachel: And they had wanted to start replicating their job. Readiness program.  

Mm-hmm.  

Rachel: And one of the big things that they felt was a differentiator in their program was that it didn't just help with hard skills for clients. It really helped address the soft skills. 

That's right. Because they found, through a lot of research, a lot of time doing their program that the, the reason why clients who were experiencing homelessness weren't able to maintain. Work  

Anthony: That's right.  

Rachel: Was it wasn't the hard skills. Yep. It was the soft skills. The  

Anthony: soft skills. And  

Rachel: so the soft skills were directly tied to trauma. 

And [00:26:00] so anyways, long story short, they wanted to replicate the program. So we started our job readiness program several years ago and we adopted the Kara model but made it our own. That's  

right.  

Rachel: Um, Cara. Does their, operates their model. They don't also have a shelter attached to theirs. Right. But we obviously do. 

Mm-hmm. Um, and so, so yes, it's been really cool to have this piece of the program because it really helps people reenter the workforce. Yeah. While still keeping the core of what we believe is important for our clients, which is. How do we help with their relational poverty?  

Anthony: That's right. I mean, it's so important, Kara. 

Um, they have, along with the five core competencies, the vocational element of it, time management, um, professionalism, communication, conflict management. They also have what's called the, the five transformations. Mm-hmm. Um, look, with new eyes, change your behavior. Don't relax. Know the deepest truth of who you are and these elements they tie into the vocational. 

Aspect, mm-hmm. Of what we [00:27:00] teach in the classes to help our clients really look within, to help with their relational connections in the workforce, in their communities, whether it's family, friendship, so that we can also help them live this life of sustainability.  

Mm-hmm.  

Jonathan: Tell us about next steps. What is, what is it? 

Um, what's the process? Yeah. And sort of how do you progress through  

Anthony: what we do here at Atlanta Mission? It's a, it's a shared process, so like you mentioned, yeah. You know, there's, find hope, choose help, make progress. These are all different stages that our clients go through as they're progressing through Atlanta mission. 

Well, next steps is that, that. In portion. Mm-hmm. There. And so after they've gone through a series of classes and those other stages, they come to us beginning their process of what we call job search workshop. It's this week all of  

Rachel: them talked about JSW. Yeah. So we. Or finally Yeah,  

Anthony: we're talking about  

Rachel: Jsw. 

Jsw. They kept saying Jsw. Jsw.  

Anthony: [00:28:00] Yeah, it is. They, they come here and they know that it's gonna be something different, something that they haven't experienced. While here at the Mission and Job Search's workshop is just an introduction to getting back into the workforce. It still has that relational element to it, but. 

Not so much, if that makes sense. You know, we want to see how they work in the workplace without a lot of coaching. We're kind of a little hands off in that first week. Um, but we are introducing them to the, the workforce competencies and we're seeing how they interact with one another. We're seeing if they're able to maintain a certain standard before they go to the next process, which is. 

Transformations. Oh  

Rachel: my goodness. Yes. And  

Anthony: then we get a little heavier into Oh,  

Rachel: okay.  

Anthony: Digging.  

Rachel: That's not a, it's not a little heavier.  

Anthony: Oh, it's not a little heavier.  

Rachel: No. For our listeners, it's not a little heavier. I am always like, man, I need to go through this.  

Anthony: We go in, it, it, it gets pretty deep. But before  

Rachel: we talk about transformations, we have a [00:29:00] lot of clients at Atlanta Mission. 

Not all of them go through. Mm-hmm. Next steps. How do we determine whether someone is a candidate for going through it?  

Anthony: The different campuses. Mm-hmm. The men's shelter, the Jefferson, the women's shelter, my sister's house. Sometimes they, they make that decision. Okay. Um, depending on how they've been working with, um, the individual. 

Okay. But. If they believe they have some potential, it's that job search workshop week. Okay. Where we're able to kind of filter and discern. You're able to see like  

Rachel: who's gonna be able to make it, who's not,  

Anthony: and observe. Absolutely. Okay. But it's really their choice. Once they get to job search workshop, we ask them, you know, what do you want to do? 

Yeah. Next week, you know, do you wanna go through transformations or do you wanna go straight into job search? And, uh, some will say they wanna go straight into job search, others transformations, and sometimes we do make suggestions. Mm-hmm. Hey, this is, this is what I've seen. This is, you know, um, what I've observed so far. 

And if you decide to go a step further into [00:30:00] transformation. It's going to be a little triggering. It's gonna be a little tough. It's, it's, it's going to be, you know, it's gonna shake you a little bit. Are you ready for that? Is that something you want to, to go through? And if the answer is yes, we allow them to go through it. 

If the answer is, is no, they wanna go to job search, they'll still get that support. A certain level of support in job search.  

Rachel: So let's talk about transformation. Yes.  

Jonathan: Your face changed when you said transformation. I, you did. Oh, that's where, that's where I play. Okay. Go. Go on  

Rachel: to our listeners. You need to come to transformations,  

Anthony: transformation. 

Uh, even, I wish I tell everybody this all the time. I wish I had something like transformations to go through  

Rachel: Me too. Um,  

Anthony: before I was thrown into the workforce. Yeah. You know, we're all, it's trial and error with us. You know, you're gonna sink or swim, you're going to try some things, but no one really, you know. 

Allows you to pause or stop and really think about what you're going to to [00:31:00] do as you're looking for a job. Before we can even facilitate one class, we actually have to go through it. Um, because we can't teach where we don't go. We're all a part of a cohort even before we facilitate, um, the classes. But, um, we. 

Dig deep into, um, the clients. We actually want to trigger as safe as we can. Uh, but we want to trigger, we want that stuff to come out in that space so that we can help our clients work through it in the moment so that when they go out into the workforce and they may get triggered, they know how to cope, they know how to handle it. 

They know how to manage those triggers. That's really.  

Jonathan: Unique, I feel like mm-hmm. We're, Hey, we're, we're trying to trigger you Yeah. In a safe space, right? Yeah. Mm-hmm. So that this doesn't happen for the first time Yeah. In the workplace. Yeah, absolutely. And then you lose your job, right? Yeah.  

Anthony: Yeah.  

Jonathan: Um, we're trying to avoid that. 

Anthony: It can sound kind of. [00:32:00] Jarring. It can sound kind of, for lack of a better word, cruel to some degree, but it is necessary. Mm-hmm. Um, because like you mentioned, a lot of our clients are coming from traumatic experiences and it's no fault of their own. And sometimes they don't know their triggers. Sometimes they don't understand why they're in this cycle of, um, being unhoused, the cycle of not able to keep a job. 

And it's not until they get into the safe space. Base, we're able to address it properly and help them work through it  

Rachel: a part every morning you guys do something called motivations. That's right. And I'll have you explain that, but I've been in several motivations, experiences mm-hmm. Where you have directly challenged clients. 

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.  

Rachel: And of course, my first initials like, oh my goodness. It says how awkward. It's uncomfortable. Yeah. It'ss uncomfortable. I, I feel every time I'm like. This is what true authenticity and vulnerability is. That's right.  

Mm-hmm. Is  

Rachel: I'm like, so often we walk through life [00:33:00] and we just try to cover up things that are uncomfortable. 

Yeah. Or awkward. Yeah. And what you do in such a, and they all respect you and love you so much. Mm-hmm. To have somebody challenge you is really powerful.  

Anthony: Life is uncomfortable. Walking in new spaces is uncomfortable. Stepping into the job on day one is uncomfortable, and we want them to be uncomfortable even in motivations. 

But how can you operate or perform well, even in the midst of discomfort. Yeah. You know, how can you flex those muscles? And so it's about practicing that.  

Rachel: It makes it normal.  

Anthony: It makes it, yeah, to some degree. Yeah. You know, I. I'm challenged with that word. Normal. Yeah. Because you know, even if it never becomes normal, it's okay. 

Rachel: I love that. You know, it's, it's  

Anthony: okay. Nerves, it's fine. Feeling uncomfortable, it's fine. But still being able to perform well in the midst of it, that's what we want. Yeah. Our clients to be able to do.  

Rachel: So I think about sometimes the [00:34:00] motivation circle, and we'll get to that. We'll talk about motivations in a little bit, but we talk about how we're making people sometimes feel uncomfortable. 

Mm-hmm. You talked about sometimes it feels cruel. Yeah. Let's talk a little bit about like what does that actually, what does that look like?  

Anthony: Yeah. Can you give us some  

Rachel: examples? Um, yeah. Give us an example.  

Anthony: We have this exercise, um, called Cross the Line. Okay. Um, and I already don't like this. Go on. Oh, it is, it is. 

Yeah.  

Jonathan: You're the queen of crossing the line though. If I, 

Anthony: yeah. We have this exercise crossing the line where we're giving out different scenarios Okay. That, um, individuals in the space may have went through in life. It can be something as light as if you are from Atlanta. Cross the line if you are the only child, cross the line. Um, if you played in a band, cross the line. 

If you hit a home run, cross the line and you're challenged to see how many people are crossing the line with you, or you're also challenged to see if you're the only one at the [00:35:00] line. But then we go a little deeper. You know, if your family, um. Has fallen victim to alcoholism, crossed the line. Um, if you've ever been abused, cross the line. 

If you've ever felt lonely or unloved, cross the line. And some of these statements are bringing up thoughts that our clients have suppressed, um, and it hasn't served them, served them well, and they're looking to the left and their right and they're noticing. However, they're not alone. Hmm. They're not by themselves. 

That even when we go to work or whatever space, there's people that we work with in our community that's been through some of the same struggles and we can build a community there. We can find ways to connect with one another there. We can have empathy and sympathy for one another, and this can, um, influence how I treat one another because [00:36:00] someone may have gone through the exact same thing. 

I've went through. And so when I come in in the morning, I'm gonna make certain I say, good morning, or ask, how's your day going today? And really do it from a place of authenticity, because now I care. Just being able to look with new eyes, that's one of our transformation. Look with new eyes, you know, at my teammate, at my, my coworker, and realize that, um, if they're having a bad day, maybe there's a reason why they're having a bad day. 

Maybe last night wasn't so good, you know, maybe the minutes before coming into work maybe it wasn't so good. And so maybe they have a reason not to have a good day and maybe there's a reason why they are a little standoffish. Yeah. Um, but, um, not allowing that to influence the way I treat. The people I work with, you know, and so these are some of the things. 

Yeah.  

Rachel: And I think even sometimes when I've seen you challenge people, um, in the vid motivation circle, it's, [00:37:00] Hey, you may have phoned in that answer.  

Anthony: Mm-hmm.  

Rachel: Do it again.  

Anthony: Yeah.  

Rachel: You're not coddling people.  

Anthony: Oh, no. I like to  

Rachel: be coddled.  

Anthony: Yeah.  

Rachel: And, but I think that that's what's so like, it, it shows this level of honesty that people have of like, Hey, I know you, I see you. 

Mm-hmm. Do it again.  

Anthony: Yeah. Yeah. And it's, and it's about knowing their potential, you know, sometimes. We don't know our own potential until someone challenges us. Mm-hmm. Right. To step outside of our comfort zone. Mm-hmm. And to think about things a different way, thinking outside the box. That's another one of our transformation. 

So, okay. The, you, you've, you've given this, this answer, this response that's so practiced. Mm-hmm. You know, you, you know what to say, but it doesn't have real meaning. Let's, let's see if we can make a true connection  

Rachel: to that. You're the first one to call that out.  

Oh  

Rachel: yeah. In, oh yeah. Oh yeah. For sure. You can totally see right. 

Threat.  

Jonathan: So transformations isn't named by accident? No. Right? No. Okay. We [00:38:00] get to the end of transformations. What kind of change have you seen? You, you got to spend a lot of time with them. Oh  

Anthony: yeah. Yeah. What do you see? Uh, and it's, it's amazing how much transformation you see in a matter of three weeks. So it's all happening in a matter of three weeks. 

You see a lot of self-accountability. You see a lot of self-accountability. In other words, people will come into the space and, um, they have this posture of blaming, you know, they, they have this, um, posture where they're guarded and there is, I. Something that happens throughout the week where they're looking inward and they're different people. 

You know, there's this exercise we used to do where upon coming into Atlanta mission and intake, everyone has to have their picture taken.  

Rachel: Yeah.  

Anthony: And at the end of transformations, we take their picture again.  

Rachel: Mm-hmm.  

Anthony: And it literally looks like two different [00:39:00] people. Mm-hmm. And we show it to. Our clients and the emotion that just kind of stirs up because now they're able to see the transformation that they've made because they're able to see it outside of themselves. 

It's, it's shocking in all the best ways, you know, when they're able to look and, and, and say. Wow. I look totally different. I remember what I was going through in the very beginning, but now that I'm here mm-hmm. I can see what I've overcome. I've, I can see what I've overcame. I can see how the hard work has paid off. 

And so, yeah, there's a lot of self-accountability. There's a lot of empathy. There's a lot of, of understanding their own strength and value. And then there's confidence in that. And so now when they go to these job interviews, they're able to turn down a position that they know is not good enough and not feel like they have to take a [00:40:00] job out of desperation and struggle. 

You know, because now they're able to look at. The workforce, the workplace in, in new eyes. Well, and  

Rachel: they know the deepest truth of who they are now, and they  

Anthony: know the deepest truth of, of who they are. And that's  

Rachel: what we heard so much from our clients that we've talked to, um, and continue to talk to, is that they feel like for the first time they actually like themselves mm-hmm. 

And love themselves.  

Mm-hmm. And  

Rachel: so it's, it's super encouraging to hear you say that too. Mm-hmm.  

Um,  

Rachel: and. Just for our listeners too. So once they go through transformations, then they're eligible for job search.  

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Yeah.  

Rachel: Um, job placement. We have corporate partners, which Jonathan will plug at the end of this episode. 

We'll,  

Rachel: and then the really unique thing about this program that we have mm-hmm. Is that we have what we call a retention coach. Yes. Who walks with, once they're employed. There, our retention coach walks with our clients for up to a year. That's right. To make sure that they are able to sustain their job. 

[00:41:00] And that's something that also came outta the carer research is that really the jobs lost really in that first year. Mm-hmm. Um, and so that's an aftercare program that we have, and once they've made it a year. They get on our great wall,  

Anthony: they get on our great wall. Absolutely. So if you remember when I was talking about how I used to work? 

Yeah. On the men's campus. In the beginning we'll see clients come back. Yeah. And this was a matter of three to six months, they'll be coming back. Well now the whole idea is once you get that job, you're on the job for at least a year, and that retention coach is helping you. Um. That process. So as long as you come through transformation, you are promised a retention coach. 

And the good thing about that is you have that retention coach, whether you, you still reside at Atlanta Mission or not. Right. Which is  

Rachel: so amazing.  

Anthony: It's so amazing. Yeah. And so you have someone doing it with you.  

Rachel: Yeah. You have someone advocating for you, you have someone to process with. So it's a really unique piece of the work we do. 

And I really hope that our conversation with Anthony today showed you about. [00:42:00] More about what we do in this phase of our program. I think it's a very unique identifier of Atlanta mission. Mm-hmm. Is that we are helping people sustain and grow  

mm-hmm.  

Rachel: After they leave us.  

Mm-hmm.  

Rachel: Um, and we're, and I love, like we talk, we've talked about so many different things on this podcast and we'll continue to talk about so many different things. 

But the key to all of these things is not just to meet the physical need. It's to meet the emotional, spiritual, relational needs. That's right. And so I hope you guys got to see a little bit of Anthony's personality. He's such a bright light at Atlanta mission. Yeah. Uh, we're so lucky to have him. The clients love him. 

I  

Jonathan: just wanna jump in real quick. Yes. Um, one of the things I love about next steps  

Rachel: go on  

Jonathan: is. Next steps is one of our programs that the community can come in Yeah. And see what's happening. So we talked about motivations. Yep. Very quickly, can you just tell us a little bit about motivations? Yeah. And if someone wants to come in, how, how does that happen? 

Anthony: Oh, yeah. Motivations is, is, uh. Is a party in itself. [00:43:00] Okay. So, oh, you, I,  

Rachel: I'm not a morning person. And it's a party.  

Anthony: It's a party. We crank up the music so loud, right? And everybody's coming in and they're cheering and they're dancing. In the middle of this circle that we have, we have a motivation circle, and I, I'll just say this quickly, it's so inspiring because you have individuals who's going through. 

What can seemingly be the lowest point of their life. Mm-hmm. But they're in the middle of the circle dancing. Mm-hmm. And laughing and singing, and they're cheering each other on in motivations and Yep. They're answering a question of the day that, you know, they're a little nervous about answering, but. 

They have encouragement from their peers. Mm-hmm. And everyone is saying, that's my friend. Mm-hmm. And you're announcing your job and motivation. If you've gotten a job offer, if you have an interview and you're ringing the bell, if you've been employed, and everybody celebr, everyone's celebrating. 

Celebrating. And, and so we welcome people in that space to see the wonderful work that we're doing there. [00:44:00] Yeah.  

Rachel: We'd love to have you join us for motivations. It happens every day.  

Anthony: Yeah.  

Rachel: Nine o'clock Monday through Thursday. Monday through Thursday, 9:00 AM nine o'clock. Yep. And we'll put information, um, in the show notes for that. 

We'd love to have you involved. Yeah. And also too, let's talk about a little bit before we go. How can you get involved as a corporation with xx?  

Jonathan: Yes. So we love community involvement. Yeah. All areas. Um, but specifically for companies, if, if you own a business or you work at a business that, um, hires people, yes, we have people to hire. 

Yes. So, um, reach out to us. Yeah. We would love to place you with a successful, uh, client. Yep. And we work really hard to make sure each placement is successful. It is a good match that we believe we wanna  

Rachel: be a good fit for you and for us.  

Jonathan: Right. So we will. So we work really hard on that. And if you wanna just come and volunteer mm-hmm. 

You can come, bring, bring your team. Yep. Come and volunteer with us.  

Rachel: We'll get you plugged in. You might actually get to meet Jonathan in person.  

Jonathan: That'd be amazing. That'd be amazing.  

Rachel: Well, thank you so much for joining us for this [00:45:00] episode, and we will see you next time. Bye.  

Tensley: Thank you so much for listening and engaging with these challenging yet vital conversations about mental health addiction, homelessness, and trauma in our city. 

Facing these issues head on is how we ignite real transformation in Atlanta. Thank you to our season sponsor, the Scott Pryor Law Group. The transformation you've heard wouldn't be possible without incredible partners like the Scott Pryor Law Group, personal Injury and Accident Attorneys, their compassion and dedication to our community. 

Fuel stories of transformation, just.