Being a homeless senior with a disability, having experienced child abuse, on top of being shattered from a recent divorce, Geraldina Gomez knew she needed to make a fresh new start. As she says of her life then, she was left without resources or proper work attire, and was coming “from a very dark situation.”
When Geraldina came to Goodwill NYNJ in July 2020, her counselors quickly set her up with webinars that taught her how to interview and look for job leads. With this knowledge under her belt and with encouragement from her Goodwill NYNJ counselors, her application of the job search strategies led to interviews. Having been homeless herself, she decided to look for a job working with homeless people, as she could empathize with their situation, knew their needs first hand and had learned about the system they must navigate.
“I put in my resume for jobs announced on a webinar offered by Goodwill NYNJ,” recounts Geraldina. “Then I submitted my resume when a job for a Residential Aid position at Acacia, a homeless shelter, came up. I was very persistent!”
On Dec. 31, 2020, Geraldina was given the fresh start she had sought: Geraldina was offered the full-time job with benefits. Geraldina speaks of the duties she performs at her job, “My current responsibilities include data entry, intakes, checking to see if families are together, heating meals, and inspecting rooms.” Geraldina is giving back to her community by encouraging and helping others traverse out of a situation she knows so well.
She was able to overcome these barriers, now has a stable living situation in a small New York apartment, and is employed full-time with benefits. She has successfully raised herself out of a very dispiriting situation. Thanks to Goodwill NYNJ, Geraldina is able to show to her clients she is a living, breathing example of success at overcoming obstacles to a secure job, a home and an income.