Stories of Success

Cultivating Ivan's Desire to Help Others

Ivan is an adult male with black hair, a goatee, and brown eyes. He is wearing his work uniform - a black polo that reads Our Connecting Communities Program helps people with disabilities build a career that fits their desires and their needs - Ivan's story is a perfect example of how this program works.
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Overcoming Loss and Regaining Stability - Paul's Story

Participant Paul is standing with Employment Specialist, Ryan. They are at Pauls' workplace, Portland International Airport. They are both holding a piece of Paul's new uniform together, in celebration. US Army Veteran Paul faced immense grief and loss. It left him unable to cope, and he needed help. He reached out to our Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program to find employment assistance, and we were able to provide that and more.
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Cultivating Maggie's Career Shift

Maggie is standing near a clothing rack, inside the Habitat for Humanity thrift shop. She's sorting through clothing on hangers, and she's smiling. Maggie was referred to us by Habitat for Humanity, after physical limitations forced her to stop working as a nurse. Our Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP) has been the perfect community for her skills-development.
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Helping US Army Veteran, Robert Spread Kindness

Robert is standing outside of a Macy's location. He is wearing a Salvation Army red apron, holding a bell, standing next to a donation collection stand. He is smiling and posing for the photograph. US Army Veteran, Robert struggled with depression, PTSD, addiction, and homelessness for over 10 years, after returning to civilian life. Our Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program provided the tools he needed in order to get back to stability and happiness.
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Dany's Path to Independence and Employment

Dany is standing, inside of the Safeway grocery store, where he works. He is wearing a mask, a black jacket, and tan pants. His hands are in his pockets, and he is looking into the camera. When Dany needed help identifying and achieving his career goals, our Connecting Communities Program was the perfect stepping stone. Our staff is always excited when Dany comes to learn and engage!
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Getting the Tools to Carve Out a New Future

Richard, AKA RA, standing on top of a scissor lift, at his job. He is wearing a yellow hard hat, safety goggles, knee pads, jeans, a tool belt, and a grey sweatshirt. Richard's struggle with PTSD and homelessness tested him, physically and mentally; but with some help from our Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program, he has carved out a bright future for himself, and he's full of vigor.
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Mark Leveraged His Existing Skills to Escape Homelessness

Mark is wearing a neon yellow flagger uniform, holding a stop sign at his new job, as a flagger at A+ Flagging. Location: a residential street. When US Navy Veteran, Mark, found himself living in a shelter during the pandemic, he was referred to our Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP) for help identifying the necessary steps to regain independence.
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Ron's Path to Reintegration, Post-Incarceration

Ron is a white adult male. He has short brown hair. He is at work, in an industrial warehouse setting. He's wearing a mask, a long-sleeve blue shirt, safety gloves, and jeans. US Army Veteran, Ron was struggling to reintegrate into civilian life. His PTSD presented challenging barriers, and his incarceration worsened them. We were able to connect Ron to the right resources for a holistic solution, including mental health support and employment assistance.
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Elijah's Journey (Part 2)

Elijah M. is wearing his new work uniform: a security guard uniform. He is also wearing a blue mask and glasses. He is posing in front of a planked fence, holding his radio. Elijah came to Oregon in hopes of being closer to his girlfriend; but when some of his plans didn't pan out, he found himself homeless. Our programs for homeless Veterans were able to get Elijah into stable housing and trained for employment!
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Robert's Veteran Housing Assistance Journey

US Army Veteran, Robert and his wife, standing in front of their home. She is giving a When United States Army Veteran, Robert found himself and his wife facing homelessness, he turned to our Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program for housing assistance. With the help of Home Forward, we helped Robert get back into a stable home so he can focus on building income and moving forward!
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Constructing the Complete Solution - Daniel's Success Story

HVRP Participant, Daniel. He is at work, as a construction manager. He os wearing a baseball cap, sunglasses, and a black t-shirt. He is standing on a ladder, and working on a cross-beam above his head. Daniel was a US Army Veteran who faced homelessness after his criminal record made it nearly impossible for him to attain employment. Our team was able to help Daniel identify his barriers and overcome them to get back to stable employment AND stable housing.
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James' Journey Comes Full-Circle

James, AKA James, AKA "Patch" is a Veteran who was homeless and unemployed, before he was referred to the Easterseals Oregon Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program (HVRP). Now, he's been an employment specialist on our team for over a year, and his journey speaks volumes to his character.
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Community Connections: Skinner City Garden

3 sunflowers, in the sun on a clear day, at the Skinner City Community Garden Our Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program has taken a "grass-roots" approach to connecting with our community, more literally speaking. Our new plot at the Skinner City Garden has served as a wonderful place for our participants to engage in a peaceful environment.
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Harry's Journey Back to Independence

Harry in his workplace: the Precision Fulfillment warehouse. He is an older white male. He's wearing a tan hat, glasses, a red polo, and khakis. He is putting an item in a box, on a shelf. United States Army Veteran, Harry couldn't survive on Social Security alone, but he faced immense barriers to employment that almost pushed him to homelessness. The Easterseals Oregon Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program would become the perfect path back to independence and self-sufficiency.
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Charles Meets "The Boss" - A Veterans' Employment Success Story

HVRP Participant, Charles is sitting at his workbench at his new job. He's smiling and wearing a blue hat, green jacket, and gloves. Location: warehouse at Precision Fulfillment During his stay at the Salvation Army Center, Charles was referred to the Easterseals Oregon Veterans Employment Program. Through our new partnership with Precision Fulfillment, we were able to place Charles in a position that fit his unique needs.
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Kevin's Connecting Communities Journey

Connecting Communities Participant, Kevin. He is standing in the dining are at his work: The Old Spaghetti Factory. He's wearing his all-black uniform, which includes an apron and a hat. He's smiling and facing the camera. When negative stigma about disability created barriers to employment for Kevin, our team helped him break those barriers down. Our Connecting Communities program helps individuals with disabilities gain employment skills and attain employment equity.
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Michael A. - A Homeless Veteran Success Story

Homeless Veterans Reintegration Program participant Michael A. - He's at his new job at Wingstop, working in the kitchen. He is holding a bowl with wings and sauce in it, flipping the wings to cover them in sauce. His uniform is a black button-up and a black baseball cap that both say Michael needed help sharpening his employable skills so he could get back into stable housing, and we knew just how to help! Easterseals Oregon's Homeless Veteran Reintegration Program specializes in helping homeless Veterans attain stable employment to regain control over their life.
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Charles C. - An Older Worker Success Story

Senior Community Service Employment Program Participant, Charles Coggin. He is smiling, standing in front of a temporary housing unit, at his new job. He's wearing a hat, sunglasses, a blue t-shirt, jeans, and a watch. When Charles found himself living in his car and unemployed, he knew he needed help getting back on his feet. As a senior re-entering the job market, he wasn't sure how to rebuild his skills for modern employment, but that's where the Easterseals Oregon Senior Community Service Employment Program stepped in.
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Sergio Navarrete-Reyes - A Connecting Communities Success Story

Connecting Communities participant, Sergio Navarette-Reyes. He is standing in from of a Sergio Navarrete-Reyes has participated in our employment assistance program for people with disabilities and language barriers for over 2 years, and he has made so much progress on the road to employment in the field of education. Easterseals Oregon's Connecting Communities program has been the perfect catalyst to his growth.
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Kevin's Journey - A Veteran Success Story

US Army Veteran, Kevin found himself unable to maintain a job and housing for his family after attempting to reintegrate to civilian life. After several months of living in their car, Kevin was introduced to Easterseals Oregon to get both housing assistance and career assistance.
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Norberto - A Connecting Communities Success Story

Connecting Communities participant, Norberto, posing in the Beaverton Connecting Communities office. He is wearing a protective mask, but you can tell he is smiling. He's holding some supplies provided by our program, including a gas card to help him commute for his new job. He's wearing a black Puma track jacket and jeans. After Norberto was injured, he couldn't continue down his career path of building maintenance, but he wasn't sure where to pivot to next. He was introduced to our Connecting Communities team in Beaverton to build new skills and explore new options.
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Charles Peterson - A Homeless Veteran Success Story

When this USMC Veteran found himself facing homelessness and barriers to securing employment, he found both employment assistance and housing assistance at Easterseals Oregon. We helped him secure transportation, interviews, and ultimately a new career.
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Gerardo B - A Connecting Communities Story

Connecting Communities participant, Gerardo B. He is on top of a snowy mountain, looking into the camera. He is smiling and waving his hand at the camera. He has sunglasses, a bandana, and a hooded sweatshirt on, and he has a gray beard. When Gerardo could no longer drive professionally as a result of his substance abuse, he needed help pivoting in a new direction and building employable skills. The Easterseals Oregon Connecting Communities program provided motivation, skill-building, and a path to new success.
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Grace Jenkins - a Senior Employment Success Story

Senior Community Service Employment Program Paricipant Grace. She is standing outside, holding a bouquet of tulips, wearing a black mask, and smiling. She's wearing a white long-sleeve shirt, and her hair is tied up in a bun. When senior job-seeker Grace and her husband struggled with homelessness, she was able to reach out to the Easterseals Oregon Senior Community Service Employment Program for help to build job skills, take classes, and make connections for her job search.
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