Mr. Jones has had 54 meetings with 14 different LIFT-DC Advocates, but one thing has remained constant – from the beginning of his journey with us in February of 2013, he has always felt supported in reaching his goals. Each Advocate has given him the right balance of compassion, positivity, and personalized support he needed to overcome roadblocks and navigate an otherwise complex social service system.
It takes a special kind of motivation to dedicate more than 80 hours to achieving ones goals, but finding that motivation wasn’t hard for Mr. Jones. In his first meeting, Mr. Jones told his Advocate Joe that he was driven to succeed by his two young children. And motivated he was. At each meeting, Mr. Jones worked diligently, in partnership with his advocate, to create a résumé, fill out job and healthcare applications, practice for interviews, apply for public benefits, and secure childcare.
Like many of the committed community members we serve, Mr. Jones has been self-sufficient, focused, and continuously motivated to accomplish his goals. At LIFT, we’ve learned that it takes confidence, cash and connections to get on stable ground and stay there; we’ve also learned that we all need the right tools and determination to weather tough times in the future, which is where we look to build up each Member’s personal (grit) and social foundations (community connectedness) while we work with them to resolve immediate challenges. Mr. Jones built all three of these foundations while working with LIFT-DC. Even when an interview didn’t pan out for him, he would make sure to ask the employer for some tips so he could improve on the next one.
Though Mr. Jones was offered several part-time jobs, he kept coming back to LIFT-DC, determined to get a full time job. After many attempts and continuing to work with his advocate to update his résumé and practice his elevator pitch, Mr. Jones was finally able to accomplish one of his most important goals: securing full time employment in the healthcare field. Not only does this mean financial security for Mr. Jones and his children, but it is also a major step forward in helping him accomplish another goal: buying a house. Because of the connections he built with his advocates, Mr. Jones continues to work with LIFT-DC on this and other goals.
Among the numerous accomplishments he achieved through LIFT-DC, Mr. Jones is proudest to have finally gained employment, received assistance to help gain access to his 401k, and to be able to have his children become eligible for a “Toys for Tots” Drive. The motivation he brings with him to each meeting is an inspiration to the team who continues to work with Mr. Jones as he works diligently to make every moment count.