Santa Maria’s Strive House Creates Reentry Pathways For The Formerly-Incarcerated
Jarrod Zinn
SANTA MARIA, Calif. (KEYT) – A transitional shared living home is now operating in Santa Maria, with the goal of helping people who were incarcerated get back on their feet.
It was started by someone who turned their own life around.
The Strive House is now serving individuals by providing no-cost housing for 90 days to those on course for rehabilitation, education, and employment.
Gabriel Ochoa earned a degree from Chico State while serving 25 years in prison.
He eventually started the non-profit F.I.S.T. & STAR Generations with his wife.
“This has been his dream,” says Clarissa Ornelas, outreach coordinator for F.I.S.T. & Star Generations. “This has been his vision. And we are here to support him and support our community, and this is just a passion for all of the board members.”
Using a peer-mentorship model they call “Reach One, Teach One,” the non-profit offers wrap-around services primed for job placement, family reunification, and educational advancement.
“Some of the mentors have the lived experience, and we are just trying to support our residents with overcoming the barriers, connecting them to resources,” says Ornelas.
It started at the grassroots level, then funding raised through yard sales, community recycling and other fundraising events led to grants from Mechanics Bank, The Fund For Santa Barbara, and the Mickey Flacks Award.
“This was exactly what I needed,” says Fernando Martinez, one of the current residents at Strive House. “I needed a program to go to, to help initiate the footwork that I need to put in to be successful.”
This funding allows the non-profit to pay rent at the Strive House for the first 90 days of their residents’ journeys.
“Gabriel making this possible just gives people hope,” says another Strive House resident Richard Lopez. “And not only hope, but it encourages the public to recognize, people in that lifestyle do care. They do want better. And people that have already been putting a lot of energy into being a delinquent of this community are turning their lives around for the good, because people like Gabriel help shine a light where it needs to be shined.”
The grants also enabled the organization to purchase computer equipment vital for their residents in pursuit of their own independence.
For more information on F.I.ST. & STAR Generations including ways to donate, you can visit their website by clicking this link.
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