Florence Crittenton News — March, 2009In this issue: 
Jasmin Khabay: Finding the Steps to Her LadderJasmin Khabay flutters her fingers to show the tattoos of gang letters – half-removed now, like smudged ink – that are still visible on her skin. “The letters mean, ‘My crazy life,’” she explains. “Tattoos gave me a mark of respect.” On March 6th, Jasmin received a different mark of respect when State Senator Mark Leno gave her an award honoring her work in the community. Jasmin’s journey from tattooed gang member to rising activist is a story of courage and personal transformation. Four years ago, as a gang member, Jasmin got into a car with a girlfriend. As they drove they spotted rival gang members on their “turf” and informed their compatriots. A fight ensued and two men were stabbed. Although Jasmin was not directly involved, she was jailed and charged with attempted murder. A month later, she was released. Not long afterward, she decided to leave the lifestyle she’d been in and out of since the time she was 11 years old. “Being in a gang gave me a sense of identity and belonging,” the 22-year-old says. The first time she tried to leave she was aged 14. That time, she’d fallen in love with the man who became the father of her child, Clarissa. Between the ages of 14 to 18, she was in an abusive relationship with this man. Although her daughter gave her joy, there was little joy at home. Her boyfriend was addicted to alcohol and crystal meth, which “made him crazy,” she says. He routinely beat her, often in front of their daughter. Even during these difficult years, Jasmin wanted to improve life for herself and her daughter. She went to school at City College to pursue a radiologist’s degree and worked at MacDonald’s to pay for it. But continued abuse derailed her plans. Finally, after her partner hit her with a belt, she left. Suddenly on her own, Jasmin needed a safe haven but didn’t know where to turn. Not surprisingly, she drifted back into gang life because of the security she thought it provided. During her second stint as a gang member, she took part in the altercation that resulted in her incarceration. Being locked up broke her belief about the “security” of gang life. Jasmin decided to make a break, this time for good. “I have a daughter,” Jasmin says, tears welling up in her eyes. “I didn’t want to lose my life and not be there for her.” She’d escaped but had no idea what was next. “I was laying around at home, not doing anything with my life. I had no career at all. Then I saw a flyer for Florence Crittenton’s Jobs Readiness program. I decided to check it out.” It was a turning point. When Jasmin entered the program, director Susan Murphy encouraged her to clear up her court record and take care of any loose ends in her life as she got ready to enter the workforce. Murphy took her to the district attorney’s office to begin the process of getting her record expunged. Murphy also drove her to court dates and offered words of encouragement. “Susan was my angel,” Jasmin says. “I never could have done it without her.” Meanwhile, Crittenton Jobs opened up a new world for Jasmin, one in which she found herself thriving. She learned software programs like Excel and Powerpoint, learned how to speak publicly, to dress for a business environment, and how to work in an office. “For the first time in my life,” she says. “I felt like a professional. I was transformed.” The job readiness program gave Jasmin marketable skills she sorely needed. However, she also needed something most employers consider equally important: experience. Fortunately, Crittenton Jobs helped her get that, too. She became an intern at FCS’ 1099 Sunnydale facility. After her internship, she was hired as a program assistant. By allowing her time to consolidate what she had learned, working at FCS gave her the confidence and stability she needed to go out into the world on her own. Seven months ago, Jasmin got a job at a non-profit agency that helps families of homicide victims. She hit the ground running. Within ten days of being hired, she was named Employee of the Week. She then became a team leader. Currently, she is learning about public policy, working as an intern in San Francisco Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi’s office. Recently, her work on behalf of Latino families in Visatacion Valley came to the attention of State Senator Mark Leno, who commended her for “enhancing the impact of women in San Francisco.” But she’s just getting started. “Florence Crittenton gave me the steps to my ladder,” Jasmin says. “They taught me how I can change my life. And now I know I can help change other people’s lives. I want to change the world. I know I have what it takes, and I’m ready to do it.” California’s Special Election: Child Care for the Poor At RiskThousands of struggling low-income parents will soon lose their subsidized child care – and will likely slip even further down the economic ladder -- if California voters approve proposition 1D in the May 19 special election. The proposition diverts hundreds of millions of voter-approved dollars from early childhood education programs as part of an agreement by state lawmakers to plug the State’s budget gap. If the ballot measure passes, the consequences would be devastating for child care programs like Florence Crittenton Services. The campaign for the ballot measures is similar to the special election of 2005. At that time, the desire to balance an overburdened budget on the backs of politically powerless constituencies was the crux of the issue. This time around, however, the long-postponed budget agreement was sweetened to stifle opposition. “Many of the well-funded interest groups that worked to defeat Schwarzenegger in 2005 are so far sitting this campaign out,” according to one recent newspaper article. Under the agreement, for example, the Teachers Union would gain from the extension of tax hikes that fund programs they support. In effect, voters are being forced to choose between infants and toddlers or K thru 12 students. Because opposition has not been as vocal, voters have learned little about how destructive Prop 1D could be. When low-income people can’t get child care, they can’t go to work. When they can’t go to work (or get job training), their already challenging lives become even more desperate. Ironically, cutting child care funding hurts everyone – young and old. Many studies clearly demonstrate the economic, social, and health benefits of subsidized child care. One study found that every dollar invested in child care results in a $2 benefit. Another noted, “The investment in early childhood produces lower social spending on families, higher tax revenues to government and greater economic security." While recent polls show tepid support for 1D and other proposed measures, many voters remain undecided. In other words, the safety net for California’s most vulnerable children and families may be ripped to shreds because people have not been fully informed about the issues. Please take action now and talk to your friends, family, and colleagues and educate them about what’s at stake. Contact the media and your legislators and voice your opposition to this destructive measure – and take action again on May 19 and vote NO on Prop 1D.  Working Poor Could Use Crittenton JobsJob-training and placement programs are vital and effective tools for eradicating poverty, supporting healthy families, and creating strong communities. Crittenton Jobs has a proven record of success in doing just that – during the past 12 years it has served 620 people, referring or placing more than 250 into paid internships or gainful employment. A recent Federal report shows why it is more important than ever to support such programs. According to the report, the number of working poor – people characterized as poor who work at least 27 weeks per year – began to increase over the last two years, after two years of declines. “Low wages were a key factor in seven out of every 10 working poor people,” says Isaiah Poole, a blogger who summarizes the report. The increase in the number of working poor correlates with another fact: since 2001, the income gap between the wealthy and the working class widened significantly. While income growth was concentrated on people at the top of the economic ladder during the “Bush Boom,” people at the bottom rungs saw their wages stagnate or decline and their health care costs soar. If wages for working class people were stagnant during a time when the stock market was making new highs, it isn’t surprising that more people would slide back into the category of the working poor. This is especially bad news for the families we serve at Florence Crittenton Services. “The face of the working poor is disproportionately female and, especially, disproportionately African American and Hispanic,” Poole says. “Women raising children are more than twice as likely to be among the working poor as their male counterparts. African Americans and Hispanics are also twice as likely as whites to be among the working poor; three out of 10 working poor people are either African American or Hispanic.” In such harsh economic times, low-income people need all the help they can get learning the skills that can help them start careers, support themselves and their families, and, finally, leave the ranks of the working poor for good. Financial Situation Of Nonprofit Organizations Is Worsening, Survey FindsThe nation’s non-profits are in the midst of a cash-flow crisis, according to a survey of some 900 nonprofit leaders around the country. According to the report, only 12 percent of non-profit organizations foresee ending the year with an operating surplus, “compared with 40 percent who ended their most recent fiscal years with money on hand.” Read the story here.
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