“I can tell that what I’m doing right now is changing me,” said Marcus, a READI Chicago participant. “I can feel it every day when I wake up—I’m different, and my mind is different.”

Marcus is nearing the end of his time in READI Chicago, but he’s not worried about what comes next. That’s because the READI employer partner he has been working at during his READI transitional jobs experience—HHPLIFT—has been so impressed with his work ethic that they have offered him a full-time, unsubsidized job upon his completion of READI.

Placing the men we work with in safe environments where they can explore, learn from mistakes, and practice career skills is key to building a foundation for safety and opportunity among people most likely to experience gun violence.

After Marcus was incarcerated several years ago, he felt like his criminal record was the only thing about him people paid attention to. He said he felt like people labeled him a “criminal” and ignored his attempts to move forward with his life. He was frustrated, until he started to envision a different path forward with READI Chicago.

“When I started to see that they really care at READI, it was easier to open up,” Marcus said. “I started to see that I could talk to them like a family member and confide in them.”

Through READI and his work, training, and support with HHPLIFT, Marcus began seeing his increasing responsibility as positive growth. He began to realize how people were seeing him differently—as a hardworking leader, and not only for his criminal background.

“A lot of people just do what they’re told, but Marcus consistently looks for what else needs to be done and does it,” said HHPLIFT President Dena Hirschberg. “That’s the germ of leadership, and we can’t wait to help him cultivate that as an HHPLIFT employee.”

HHPLIFT is a nonprofit social enterprise in east Pilsen. In Chicago, HHPLIFT forges economic independence for people with barriers to employment through the production of their LIFT™️ line of candles, soaps, and personal care products and their ecoLIFT™️ brand of accessories.