Rich Finds His Place in the World
“I started working in facilities maintenance at the age of 17. I even worked with two of the biggest firms developing properties downtown in the 80s and late 90s. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, jobs in that area dried up.
“Unable to find a job for the first time in my life, I struggled with depression. I was trying to shelter in place and protect myself from a disease that was spreading like wildfire. But, I was alone in a room with nobody to talk to and had no social interaction. Then I was forcibly evicted from my home and I had to make the hard decision to enter a homeless shelter.
“It’s very hard to live in a shelter. You’re with more than 150 other men. It’s kind of dormitory style. You eat together, you sleep together, you shower together. And they have a lot of strict rules that make it even harder to find and keep a job.
“But that’s also how I learned about Cara Collective.
“The first thing that Cara did for me was lift me out of my depressive state. Cara has counselors you can meet with free of charge. I learned several techniques to cope with my situation and rediscover my positivity.
“In the classes at Cara and with the support of my coach, I was freely able to communicate my struggles and received nothing but positivity and encouragement. I also received a wealth of information and opportunities to reinvent myself to get back into the job market. And on top of that, they provide transit cards to all the job seekers. With the seven-day pass from Cara, I was not only able to get to my training, I was also able to travel to look for work and see friends and family around the city.
“Without Cara, I don’t know how long I would’ve struggled with my depression.
“Because of my experience in facilities and maintenance, once I finished the training at Cara, I was offered a position on the Cara facilities team. It wasn’t an easy job, there were always problems to be addressed, but it helped me rediscover my self-worth. I was happy to be helping other people and it helped me to relearn how to socialize after the isolation of the pandemic. And to my surprise, through one of my Cara coworkers, I was able to find permanent housing. They had a personal relationship with the landlord and made the introduction. I met with the landlord and got the keys the same day!
“After an incredible year at Cara, I worked with the Employment Services team to find my next opportunity. Given my background, they helped me apply and interview for Environmental Service jobs at three different hospitals.
“Today, I’m an Environmental Services Technician at Advocate Illinois Masonic Hospital. In addition to my day-to-day responsibilities, I also train new associates. I really enjoy getting all of the new hires up to speed and affording them the opportunity to excel at their position. Because of my hard work and dedication, my supervisor saw my organizational skills and is working with me to advance to a lead position after only six months at the hospital.
“One of the biggest things I learned at Cara is we all have struggles in life. Cara means ‘friend’ – and that’s what everybody associated with Cara is to me. Thanks to my friends, I have a stable job that I love. I have a home again. I have returned to myself. And best of all, I have a place in the world.“
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