A Chance for Change Rehabilitating Lives

Years ago, the single mother of two relocated to a new city in hopes of finding better medical care for her terminally ill mother. I struggled to find affordable housing With no income and no place to live, the family packed what little possessions they had and moved into a homeless shelter.

I couldn't find housing, finances ended, and I found myself homeless and scared with two kids and my sick mother,”
But her trial was just beginning. Amanda did her best to establish some form of normalcy for our family – keeping the children in school and maintaining her mother’s medical appointments. And then she received the call no one ever wants to receive. I lost my mother.
The grief was overwhelming. The fear unsettling. The darkness consuming.  insomnia, and after countless sleepless nights, Amanda turned to alcohol. I had a stroke, and found the foundation of my faith. 

The population that has been severely impacted since the governor law passed low risk level offenders with a release date of one year or less released back into their communities, with no access to immediate medical and mental health care. The abrupt release placed newly released individuals many spent over ten years plus incarcerated back into the community. These individuals had no access to transportation, or active Medicaid insurance, or even a transition place to live. A Chance for Change has been an organization who has picked up individuals personally by the owner, purchased clothing items, and food while along with staff provided over thousands of in kind services in the community. I continue to pay my clinical staff for outpatient services while I assist many of our clients to begin the process in applying for benefits that are and have been continued to be delayed. 

The population that has been severely impacted since the governor law passed low risk level offenders with a release date of one year or less released back into their communities, with no access to immediate medical and mental health care. The abrupt release placed newly released individuals many of whom have spent over ten years plus incarcerated back into the community. These individuals had no access to transportation, or active Medicaid insurance, or even a transition place to live. A Chance for Change has been an organization who has picked up individuals personally by the owner, purchased clothing items, and food while along with staff provided over five thousand in kind services assisting this vulnerable population gain access to the services that many completely shut down. I as the CEO continue to pay my clinical staff for outpatient services while I assist many of our clients to begin the process in applying for benefits that are and have been continued to be delayed. With a Chance for Change we don't wait we rehabilitate, so we continue to provide services free of charge.

A Chance for Change is a rehabilitate and supportive service provider for mental health, substance abuse outpatient services in addition to providing peer supportive services. We focus on providing wrap around services for the underserved and homeless population who have experience involvement with the criminal justice system. We assist and support those and their transition back into their community with ensuring each client has access to medical and mental health services in addition to transitional recovery housing in the Hampton Roads and Tidewater areas of Virginia. 

Through community fundraising and active research in being a voice for social justice reform. A Chance for Change has gained several partnerships throughout the Hampton and Tidewater regions of Virginia. We partnered volunteer hours with City of Portsmouth City Jail where we provided reentry services for the men and women incarcerated such as mental health, substance abuse, career and workforce, money management and budgeting. We are also partnered with several non profit organizations and Virginia Beach City Jail, although when COVID hit many of the doors to big organizations closed as well, except for A Chance for Change, we saw an immediate crisis and the underserved population in need of services,  and we refused to turn our backs or close our doors. Prior to COVID A Chance for Change had two clients and continuing being present in the community, partnering with Portsmouth Department  Behavioral Services, we managed to have several community fundraising events giving to the community where we know have over fifteen clients we serve and provide outpatient and recovery services. 8 out of fifteen clients have full time employment and secured housing as they continue to attend their treatment appointments and refused to let this crisis stop them.

Though our we continue to instill hope in showing the underserved population that even in the minds of a storm they are not alone. We are not afraid to safely follow guidelines while still assisting them in gaining access the the rehabilitative services that they desperately need which with determine their ability to successful transition positively back into their communities, with or without COVID.

Two years ago I went from losing my mother and being homeless with two children. To restoring my faith in God and having a sincere heart for the vulnerable population. 

After returning to Virginia I came across Governor Northam's Second Chance Program in 2018 and began researching and developed a Reentry Criminal Justice Grant as I found such a lack of housing, service providers, and employment opportunities for those returning from incarceration and in need for "a chance for change." I began attending every cities reentry meeting going out into the community and speaking with the returning population asking them what they need and struggle with. From there after two years I left my full time job and put everything I had into A Chance for Change and making a difference in a community where I once too as an education social worker found herself once hapless and alone, and promised that I would do all that I could if I can help one person feel that they have an organization in the corner without the worry of financing. 

A Chance for Change has become voice for social justice reform. A Chance for Change has gained several partnerships throughout the Hampton and Tidewater regions of Virginia. We partnered volunteer hours with City of Portsmouth City Jail where we provided reentry services for the men and women incarcerated such as mental health, substance abuse, career and workforce, money management and budgeting. We are also partnered with several non profit organizations and Virginia Beach City Jail, although when COVID hit many of the doors to big organizations closed as well, except for A Chance for Change, we saw an immediate crisis and the underserved population in need of services, medications, and we refused to turn our backs or close our doors. Prior to COVID A Chance for Change had two clients and continuing being present in the community, partnering with Portsmouth Department of Behavioral Services, we managed to have several community fundraising events giving back to the community where we know have over fifteen clients we serve and provide outpatient and recovery services. 8 out of fifteen clients have full time employement and secured housing as they continue to attend their treatment appointments and refused to let this crisis stop them. 

I have a BA in Psychology with over ten years as a community advocate, outreach worker, and social worker. I also was the care giver of my late mother who suffered with end stage renal failure when I was only seven years old. She died three years ago while she, myself and two small children lived in a homeless shelter. The trauma I experienced, the hopelessness, the alcohol abuse I turned to at the age of 29 caused me to have a stroke. 

And then faith and God saved my life, to be honest when I returned to Virginia God lead me to build A Chance for Change where I could take all the pain and the hurt and turn it into Hope for others who are the vulnerable and underserved population. In the Bible it says the first shall become last and the last shall become first. It has been a calling given to me and despite funding, COVID, I refuse to fail the people that I have impacted so much especially since the hit of COVID and criminal justice reform. 

At the age of seven my mother had stage four renal failure. I grew up watching her in and out of hospitals like they were a second home. I was a teenage mother in an abusive relationship, I grew up way too fast. 

But I placed myself through college taking care of my terminally ill mother for over twenty years. three years we moved to charlotte and I lost my job, became homeless with an ill mother and two children. Two days before my sons fourth birthday in the shelter my mother went in for a routine procedure and never came out. I found myself homeless, in a shelter, with two little children, while my mothers body laid in the hospital morgue as I tried to scramble the money to cremate her body. after 10 days the hospital ran out of time, I gathered the money but could only bury her in the hospital nigh gown she went in on. There was no ceremony just me and she deserved more than that. I promised her I would make her proud and I plan on it through A Chance for Change. 

I don't fold under pressure. I am resourceful and never take no for an answer. When you go through such a traumatic event your heart and your soul all changes. 

You no longer go with the flow, or become to scared to speak up for what is right. life is too short with the passing of my mother I promised to lead life everyday. So I quite a job that wanted me to perform tasks that were unethical due to "it being a money driven world." so I risked my own bills and stepped on faith with my business. If that isn't leadership Im not too sure what is. 

I have several MOU partnerships:

D.E.T.E.R. INC

Portsmouth City Jail

Virginia Beach City Jail

Church of Holy Family PUPS Prison Reentry

Enoch Baptist Church Reentry Out

Currently 15 within the next year over 100

My goals is to open a dual diagnosis mental health and substance recovery supportive home in each city of Hampton Roads in Virginia. 

Lack of funding for housing both recovery and personally. Since opening my business my personal finances were exhausted the the business Covid hit and now jeopardizes my livelihood. 

Continuing to work in the community help the population, crowfunding 

City of Portsmouth City Jails we do their volunteer reentry services prior to covid 

D.E.T.E.R INC partnered with nonprofit although due to me not being big enough they chose to work with VDOC. 

Church of Holy Family PUP Prison Reform, submitting grants on their behalf free of charge and assist the sponsored paroles they take in. 

I have done three community fundraising evening although the money raised goes right back into the community to donate household items.