A ReHire Program Journey

Steve’s journey to and from the ReHire program began a couple of years ago when his son was born.

When Steve’s son was born, both he and the child’s mother were both attempting to recover from addiction. The mother was on Methadone which required Steve’s son to be placed into the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for two weeks.

During this time, Steve attempted to utilize Family and Medical Leave Act time away from work so he could stay at the hospital with his son. Unfortunately, Steve had not worked enough hours to qualify and as a result had to make the choice between staying at the hospital or returning to work. He chose his son.

After his son was released from the NICU, Steve began searching for another job but was unable to find something on his bus route or within walking distance from his home.  Finally, after months of searching, Steve found a position at a local restaurant. Unfortunately, just as he was set to start, the pandemic began, and the restaurant closed and laid-off almost all its employees.

Shortly after, Steve entered a sober living house, and his son began living with Steve’s parents. After a few months in the sober living house, he began looking for work again and heard about the ReHire program. He felt the program would give him the opportunity to rejoin the workforce, get a chance from an employer, and get his life back on track. In October 2020, Steve was placed at an ACE Hardware location and was hired on a permanent basis in January.

Steve said that the ReHire program helped him by connecting him with an employer that he did not believe he would have had a chance with on his own and was in a location where he is able to get to work on the bus or even walk to on the weekend. ReHire also provided bus passes and work clothing for Steve to get started at ACE.

Steve’s plans for the near future are to continue to grow and work with ACE, and eventually pursue certifications in the IT field which is one of his passions, via Goodwill’s LIFT IT Training Program.

Administered through Goodwill’s Career Development Services program, ReHire Colorado is an 11-week, transitional employment program helping individuals with barriers to employment re-enter the workforce. Eligible participants benefit from paid, on-the-job training in a supportive work environment, and develop marketable job skills to launch or advance their careers. Learn more about ReHire on our website here.