“St. Patrick Center was a stepping stone into my new life. They encouraged me and helped me out a lot, because it was hard for me to transition after I got out of prison.”

Toni Jordan developed a crack cocaine habit that took her and her children down many avenues. She tried unsuccessfully to get clean at a treatment center. She was arrested several times for shoplifting to support her habit, and was eventually sentenced to prison.

“It was a good thing that I went to prison,” Toni says. “Seeing women get released on Friday, and return on Sunday made me change my thinking. I suddenly realized that everything had to come from within.”

After release from prison, Toni learned about St. Patrick Center and Project REACH. Case managers helped her transition back into society and apply for jobs, which was a challenge because she had to report her conviction on job applications. Toni’s prison job in a sewing factory came in handy, when she got a job as a sewing operator.

“I am so happy to be doing something different with my hands than stealing,” Toni adds. Today, she lives in an apartment with her husband and four of her five children. Toni plans to buy a home some day, and would like to work for Project REACH so she may help other ex-offenders.