Community Impact

Irving “Irv” Relova, a man whose life took unexpected turns, leading him from the Philippines to the United States at the tender age of 13, found his early years marked by responsibility, education and a hopeful outlook on his future. However, a tragic incident altered the course of his life, driving him to commit a deeply regrettable crime- one that he reflects upon daily. At the age of 18 in 1996, Irv’s path changed drastically as he found himself arrested and labeled a “youth offender”.

Initially sentenced to the death penalty, his fate transformed into a lifetime behind bars with no chance of parole. He carries the weight of his actions, acknowledging the lives he impacted on that fateful day.

Despite the limited access to rehabilitation programs, Irv’s resilience shone through. He played a main role in establishing a Youth Diversion Program within the prison he was held in.

This initiative brought justice-involved youth to the facility once a month to engage with selected incarcerated individuals, offering guidance and mentorship. Additionally, Irv was part of the team at Lancaster Prison that introduced a shelter dog training program. He contributed to the program by crafting essential items such as dog leashes, harnesses, or blankets, and even assisting in dog training!

A change in the law under Govern Brown’s administration in 2018 presented a glimmer of hope for Irv’s loved ones and for Irv himself. Accepting the consequences of his past and with some helpful prodding from loved ones, Irv was eventually paroled in 2019.

Since his release, Irv has worked on bettering himself and reached out to H.I.R.E. in late 2020. Irv then became an integral part of our team, leading to the creation of the T.I.M.E. mentorship program. Motivated by a genuine desire to guide those in need, Irv’s lived experience has granted him insight into the struggles and challenges that youth in the system may face. He sees his work with H.I.R.E., as a commitment to prevent others from enduring similar hardships.

Irv currently serves as a T.I.M.E. mentor speaking to groups in the community and providing 1:1 mentorship to youth who are currently facing long term convictions. He is able to provide them with hope, support they do not receive elsewhere and with linkages to services upon release. Through H.I.R.E., Irv is turning his dream into a reality!

When he was only 16 years old, Nhut was sentenced to a lifetime behind bars without the possibility of parole. He had committed an act that he deeply regretted and would change the course of the rest of his life.

Within the confines of prison, Nhut found a piece of hope through a Youth prevention program. In there he shared his personal journey and life lessons, he also connected with at-risk youth, and committed to showing them a different path. This outreach sparked a significant change within Nhut. Through these connections, he discovered a well of empathy and self-worth.

After 20 years of incarceration, Nhut’s destiny had an unexpected turn in store for him — a landmark Supreme Court decision ruled that youth who are sentenced to a lifetime without the possibility of parole is a cruel and unusual punishment.

With that, Nhut was granted an unforeseen chance at freedom in July 2020! From then on, Nhut emerged from his decade-long confinement, carrying with him the lessons he had learned during his time behind bars.

Embracing his new freedom, Nhut became a volunteer mentor with H.I.R.E. in the Transforming Integration into Meaningful Experiences (T.I.M.E.) mentor program sharing his experiences and lessons through his resilient journey and giving back to his community by becoming a sort of guidance for justice-involved youth. Although it has been a challenge for him to return to Juvenile Hall as a free man as it serves as a reminder of the past, Nhut remains committed to having a positive impact on justice-involved youth.

“There’s always one part of my life that I want to be involved with system-impacted people. I think that’s important. I think that’s one of the biggest parts of who I am as a person.” – Nhut

Beyond his role as a mentor, Nhut’s impact continues to expand. He is a tattoo artist, channeling his creativity into a positive outlet. He participates in programs that teach mindfulness and Buddhist practices to justice-involved individuals in California jails, and in a dog training program that provides job training to those that look to rebuild their lives.

Nhut hopes to create a ripple effect of transformation and success for those he mentors. If he is able to change one life, Nhut believes they will, in turn, inspire and change the life of another creating a chain reaction of positivity and growth.

Link to video on youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzXBxUrO0ZM&t=5s

After being sexually abused by a family member as a child, Marta sunk into a spiral of isolation and despair.

When no one believed her story, she began numbing the pain with drugs and living a life in the streets. After years of struggling to survive, Marta had become a mother and found what she thought to be love in her partner. This partner later convinced her to begin committing residential burglaries in exchange for drugs and as a way to support her child. After one incident, Marta’s partner threw her out of a moving car and abandoned her at the scene of the crime. As a result, Marta went to prison for the first time and was sentenced to three years.

After getting out, she began a path to change her life for the sake of her child. She started attending college, but shortly after, Marta learned that her family member finally admitted to abusing her as well as another family member. Consumed with the emotions of her past, Marta relapsed. On what felt like a “suicide mission,” she committed one last residential burglary, and in 2017 Marta was sentenced to 24 and a half years in prison.

While serving her term, Marta felt hopeless and was plagued with the fear of growing old inside, never being able to see her child again. She decided to change her life for good this time and became invested in growing religiously to figure out what purpose God had for her. After serving two years of her term and dedicating her life to progress, Marta received news that a recent law change resulted in 22 1/2 years being removed from her sentence! She was getting out and would be able to see her child and change her life permanently.

Following release, Marta persevered on her journey of betterment, earning a bachelor’s degree and then continued on, graduating earlier this year with a master’s degree in business administration and a concentration in management. After graduation, she was able to land her dream job in aerospace. This sense of security changed Marta and relieved some anxiety in her child’s life. ​​

Marta now serves as a lived experience mentor with H.I.R.E.’s Transforming Integration into Meaningful Experiences (T.I.M.E.) mentorship program. Through the T.I.M.E program, Marta works with youth in juvenile hall and in the jails, sharing her story of perseverance in hopes to help them with their own journeys.

“Giving hope to people, being able to give back, being able to give someone a path, one that they didn’t know was there, that’s what essentially is being a mentor.”- Marta on her experience being a T.I.M.E mentor.

Marta continues to speak publicly about her story of sexual abuse and sobriety in hopes to educate and help those who have been in the same place. Marta is grateful for programs like H.I.R.E. that focus on giving formerly incarcerated individuals second chances and the opportunity to change their lives around.

After serving six years behind bars, Gail experienced immense difficulty reentering his community. Not only did his parole restrictions limit his ability to support himself with employment, but customary activities such as transportation became a daily obstacle.

“When you get out of prison, the world is a different place for you. Everything is a struggle. I didn’t even know how to ride a bus. I wasn’t used to traveling more than 100 feet without having a wall or a fence. It’s a practice humans develop in a bigger environment, and you can lose that.”

After months of enduring financial and mental hardship, Gail’s struggles became focused on his basic survival which resulted in an urgent need for employment and career guidance. At the age of 63, Gail knew he needed to work to survive, but most importantly he wanted purpose.

Gail attempted to apply for jobs but unfortunately, he was consistently met with denial. His parole restrictions limited his accessibility to resources used by almost all hiring agencies and application processes, and his past education and professional experience – which his conviction prohibits him from returning to – deemed him overqualified for jobs he applied to.

This is when Gail found HIRE At first, he had low expectations fearing more denial. To his surprise, he was met with kindness, respect, and enthusiasm.

“It was friendly, it was respectful; people in my situation don’t always get friendly and respectful, especially the respectful part. It was non-judgmental. And the thing about it was that they actually sounded enthusiastic about helping and being of service to get me to the next level.”

HIRE worked with Gail to eliminate obstacles he had been facing. Gail received career guidance and assistance to craft a resume aligned with a job he would feel satisfied with. He also was assisted with applying for housing, and most importantly, developed a support system designed to keep him accountable. After just a few weeks, HIRE placed Gail into a job that fit his expectations and parole restrictions.

“HIRE took into account my restrictions and said they were going to try to get me something meaningful and I’d enjoy doing. I didn’t get a speech about just taking what was out there. They were really good at working with me as an individual which is the biggest reason I chose to stick with HIRE.”

Employment to Gail was a huge step in rebuilding his life. With this financial security, Gail now has the opportunity to hone his passion for art and began creating oil paintings. He has recently been selling his art to the community and looks forward to more developments in his pursuit of art.

Gail continues to work with HIRE to rebuild his future and is excited to start this new chapter in his life with the goal of self-sustainability and feeling fulfilled.

In 2018, Patricia was arrested for driving under the influence. The situation escalated when it was discovered that her child was in the back seat of the car. After a year of fighting her case in court, Patricia was convicted and sentenced to four years’ probation and required to complete multiple classes and programs. Her license was also suspended which led to a snowball of events including losing her job, creating the inability to pay her fines, and ultimately losing custody of her child.

This was the ultimate breaking point for Patricia. Losing her child and not being able to work took a toll on her mentally. This led to depression and being arrested twice more for not paying her fines. She was trying to find work, but finding a job in her previous profession, healthcare, seemed impossible due to her convictions and limitations. She did not know what to do, but knew she had to get help and she needed to get her child back.

The initial program Patricia contacted was closing its doors, so they referred her to HIRE for help. She hoped to gain guidance on her situation and also assistance in finding a job but was apprehensive of accepting help and fearful of being judged or looked down upon.

At HIRE, she was met with none of that. After enrolling in services, Patricia received assistance reconstructing her resume in an effective manner and support and guidance for her legal matters. HIRE. ultimately provided her with a character letter which helped in getting her case dismissed.
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“I kept on working with HIRE because I needed someone to give me advice or guide me on which way to go, otherwise, I probably would have been just stuck in a hole.” – Patricia
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HIRE also provided her with job opportunities and food assistance. Through hard work, and dedication, Patricia has found her passion helping others deal with addiction and recovery. She is gainfully employed and hopes to one day become a drug and alcohol counselor.
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“I found what my true passion is and that’s actually helping people that are in the same boat as I was… I see a really good future with this moving forward.” – Patricia
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Patricia is still working to gain custody of her child and rebuild that relationship. HIRE will be with her every step of the way.
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“[After reaching out to HIRE] I have a job now, I can now say that I’m able to support myself. I have more trust in people, people who work in social services or even the justice system.” – Patricia

Growing up Sal was always on the move. His family moved back and forth between Mexico and California, causing a difficult adolescence. At the age of 18, Sal found himself incarcerated after a regrettable crime, and sentenced to three years of probation. Sal describes his interaction with the justice system as humiliating and left him with a loss of trust in law enforcement.

“When my sentencing was over I was pretty much considered just a felon.” – Sal

After completing his probation, Sal faced the hard reality of living with a felony. Sal was soon kicked out of his school and was relocated to a continuation school to complete his education. Although Sal felt out of place, he was determined to receive his education and graduated within a few months. Sal quickly applied for college and began his path toward a career. Sal knew this path would pose obstacles, but he was committed to securing a successful future.

Sal worked at his father’s company while in school but yearned for employment that aligned with his interests. However, Sal soon realized the struggles of starting a career with a background and knew he needed to reach out for guidance. Motivated by his desire to have a career in the STEM field, Sal decided to reach out to HIRE with the hopes of finding support on his journey.

“My first impression of HIRE was acceptance. […] Because of my background I felt a lot of shame, but I never felt that way when I spoke to HIRE” – Sal

Once connected with HIRE, Sal felt his challenges fade. HIRE assisted him with resume building, meaningful programs, and continual support during this process. HIRE was also able to help Sal’s family by providing them with guidance as they faced confusing challenges with the law and needed community support.

“My family and I were very ignorant when it came to law and being able to ask HIRE for guidance has saved me money and time, overall helping me and my family” – Sal

With these new resources, HIRE was able to help get Sal’s felony expunged from his record and he is now able to focus on his goals for the future.

Sal’s journey was not without its challenges, but with the help of HIRE, he has gained meaningful resources and support to equip him to face his obstacles. Currently, Sal is in college studying Cybersecurity and hoping to work for a private tech company. Sal has still been working and exploring various hobbies such as music, graphic design, art, and photography.

Sal continues to work with HIRE to make progress toward his future and reach his goal of a meaningful career.

“Thanks to HIRE my felony has been expunged from public record, which makes it easier to get jobs to start my career, and takes away that stress of having to carry that boulder around”. – Sal

Uniting their passion of deep connection and transformation, Anne and Maryann Buchanan co-founded “And I Know You Too,” a screen-printing company that is venturing into tote bag manufacturing. This mother-daughter partnership hopes to build meaningful bonds and provide avenues of employment through artistic expression.

Having been a restorative justice practitioner for the past ten years, Anne became intrigued at the idea of fair chance practices for formerly incarcerated individuals. “I understand that there are many people impacted by the criminal justice system that don’t have a venue or way to work where they want to be in life.” Maryann, involved in the art industry for over a decade, longed to provide assistance to people getting started in the artworld by teaching skills in crafting and entrepreneurship. They joined forces to create a company that welcomes formerly incarcerated people to gain experience and find work in the art field.

Anne and Maryann were connected with HIRE while in search of sponsors and freelance artists. They then participated in HIRE’s annual Reentry Resource Fair designed to connect justice involved community members with employment, resources, education and legal assistance. As a vendor at the event, they made connections with other providers, and as a result have received an abundance of support and resources to help grow their business. Not only do they have access to trained and reliable candidates to fill their open positions, but they also utilize provider facilities to help grow their business. “Through HIRE we were able to meet them… It’s been an incredible relationship growing for about a year,” says Maryann. They have since hired three formerly incarcerated people that they met at the Reentry Resource Fair and are expanding their company operations.

And I Know You Too hopes to provide a space for system-impacted and formerly incarcerated artists to grow professionally and share their story through art. Anne and Maryann recognize how challenging it is to find a career path to support oneself after incarceration, so it is uplifting to access untapped potential through fair chance hiring practices. They are working towards offering meaning and purpose through personal growth, career advancement, and creative output.

If your company is hiring or would like to learn more about fair chance hiring, please contact HIRE to get involved!

After completing five years of an eight-year prison sentence, Patrick was released from incarceration in 2021. Feeling deep remorse and regret for the acts he committed, he understood he faced a long path of recovery once returning home.

Three months after release, Patrick moved to California to be closer to family and finish out his parole. It was at this time Patrick immersed himself in therapeutic communities with hopes of bettering himself. He spent over a year and a half applying for over 300 positions with no success. He faced rejection after rejection, either based on either the terms of his parole, or the employer learning the specifics of his crime. This diminished his hope of ever finding a meaningful profession.

It was at this time Patrick saw a news segment informing him of HIRE’s annual Reentry Resource Fair, prompting him to contact the organization for assistance. Upon speaking with HIRE, Patrick received help with his resume and job search, and was eventually connected with a recruiter that he claims made all the difference in his experience.

Shortly after, Patrick became employed in a full-time position. He now lives in a stable environment with his father and has recently been promoted at his job. Patrick shares that he has a wonderful support system through his friends, and he feels extremely blessed.

He draws from experiences before the completion of his parole in May 2024 in which every decision felt like life or death.

“Prison and parole feel like survival instead of living – every decision was a critical decision, now I feel like the pressure is off.” – Patrick

He gains comfort from surpassing this time in his life, allowing him to now focus on his day-to-day responsibilities.

Patrick refers to HIRE as a lifeline, appreciative of the support offered along the way and has even reached out for assistance for a family member coming home. He shares that no matter how hopeless his circumstances may seem, he can always turn to HIRE to restore his faith. Patrick describes his good days as full of hope and acceptance, although he still faces hardships like everybody else. When asked what his future looks like, Patrick expresses that it changes by the minute. He continues to heal from his experience, reflecting on his mistakes with hopes of supporting those in his inner circle along the way.

“Life is hard and that’s okay, I accept that, and I can do this.” – Patrick

After serving 20 years in prison, Matthew was released in 2021 and found himself in a tough situation. The dog training program he was working at had recently downsized, leaving him without a job and with no way to support his family. Matthew applied for many jobs, but due to his conviction history, he was turned away after not passing their background checks.

During his time at the dog training program, Matthew had met one of HIRE’s T.I.M.E. mentors who recommended him to the program for help after the downsizing of the company. Matthew had hoped to be able to find a stable job, build a resume, and make business connections.

Upon applying for help at HIRE, Matthew’s initial emotion was nervousness, but it was quickly replaced by a sense of security. Matthew appreciated knowing that there are resources available for people like him, and it was comforting to know that someone cares and would follow up with him.

HIRE helped Matthew build a professional resume for the first time, as well as gave him career advice and helped him apply to jobs. In Matthew’s words, the people he worked with took his whole situation into account when working with him and were “really cool”.

After just a few weeks, Matthew became employed full time with HIRE partner organization, Project Kinship as a Peer Navigator. He truly enjoys his job and is living happily with his family. He is also continuing his passion for dogs and is running a dog boarding business out of his house which he hopes to expand to offer dog training as well. Matthew continues to work with, and stay in contact with HIRE to support him with his journey.

“Life happens but it is in the choices we make that determines the outcome, so surround yourself with the right people and reach out because there’s always support waiting to help ” – Matthew