Eric, a father of six, works two jobs to support his family. To look at him now, you would never guess that prior to joining READI Chicago eight months ago, he had never had a job in his life.

“It feels good,” Eric said. “It’s motivating and exciting. You don’t have to worry about getting robbed or going to jail. I know that paycheck is going to be there.”

Eric grew up in North Lawndale, moving between foster homes and his grandmother’s home while his mother struggled with substance use disorder. Gangs were ubiquitous in Eric’s neighborhood and provided a convenient way for him to make some cash, so he began selling drugs at 9 years old.

The gang was a support system, Eric said. All of his friends and much of his family were in the gang, and while this seemed familiar and comfortable, Eric lost many friends and loved ones to gun violence along the way.

Eric said he was getting tired of worrying about being killed or arrested, so when he heard about READI Chicago, he was intrigued.

“My cousin was working at READI and half the people I know on my block and that I was in gangs with were in READI,” Eric said. “I said no at first, though. I thought, ‘I’m not going to work some job and make that little money.'”

Eric said he is grateful now that his outreach worker practiced relentless engagement, one of READI Chicago’s core tenets. Outreach first engaged Eric in July 2018, but it wasn’t until November that Eric agreed to start the job.

“One day I was sitting in the house bored, and I decided I just had to mature and wise up for my kids,” Eric said.

Since then, the father of six has been coming to READI Chicago consistently, and he now sees his job as a place to feel safe. Eric said READI Chicago has helped him mature, control his anger, and gain valuable work skills.

“I had to change my ways before I end up dead or in jail,” Eric said. “I’m not going to let my kids grow up like that. I learned how to work for things and earn them.”

“I want my kids to have way more than I’ve had,” Eric continued. “I want them to grow up and not have to sell drugs. Providing for my kids is the most important thing.”

Still struggling with the need to increase his income, the obvious choice to Eric seemed to be returning to selling drugs. However, he first confided in his outreach worker, who helped Eric apply for a second job at a retail store. Eric now works nights there, comes to READI Chicago in the morning, and grabs some sleep after work before doing it all over again.

Eric is focused on giving his kids a better, safer life than he had, but said he still sometimes worries about raising them in the North Lawndale community.

“We need more black role models and supporters and males in the community to show them the future and open their eyes more,” Eric said. And after he completes READI Chicago, that strong black role model is exactly who Eric plans to be.