"13 Years in Prison. Now I Walk People Out" | Coffee Chat with Mona скачать в хорошем качестве

"13 Years in Prison. Now I Walk People Out" | Coffee Chat with Mona

Elyse knows what it's like to be on the wrong side of every system. Now she's the one helping people navigate them. "I crossed every 't', dotted every 'i'. I went above and beyond what was asked of me. And I got my kids back in 30 days." Thirteen years in prison. Three children taken by CPS. Addiction. Homelessness. Divorce. When Elyse came to The Joseph Center's adult advocacy program (JCAAP) four years ago, she needed help with everything. Today, she's the one providing it. Elyse now works as a resource advocate with the Colorado Alternate Defense Council and runs her own business, Advocate of Shalom—a holistic advocacy service helping people transition out of prison and jail. She walks them through the barriers: getting an ID, navigating DHS for food stamps and Medicaid, finding doctors, relearning social skills, rebuilding humanity. "Before, it was self, self, self, self, selfish. Everything for self, catch me if you can. Now I wake up every morning and ask: how can I be of service to you?" She's in college studying criminal justice. Her family is restored. Her oldest son is playing football in Hawaii on his way to the NFL. The daughter who was two weeks old when they first came to Joseph Center? She calls Mona "Nana Mona." Even CPS tried to reopen a case on her later for accountability support. Their response? "We're not taking your case any longer. You don't need our help." Four years. Complete transformation. From needing every system to helping others navigate them all. This is what restoration looks like when you work the program—and when you have a community acting as bridge. 🔗 Learn more about The Joseph Center: josephcentergj.com 🔗 Share your story on Coffee Chat: https://forms.gle/aQZRYokrT7YK8GFL9 🔗 Support transformations like Elyse's: https://josephcenter.harnessgiving.or...