In January 2020, Ashley Willis and her family were homeless, staying at the Salvation Army’s shelter. Due to their financial hardship, the family had been separated and had no transportation, but they were holding on to hope.
Ashley’s case manager at the shelter encouraged her to visit with Goodwill’s outreach staff on-site. There she learned about the free job readiness training, resume preparation and job search assistance that Goodwill could offer and knew it could make a huge difference in her job search.
For the next two months, the Community Works team worked closely with Ashley on her job search. She completed numerous applications, went on multiple interviews and had consistent communication with her Case Manager. Finally, on March 9, 2020, right before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, her diligence paid off. Ashley landed a great job as a phlebotomist with Carter Blood Care. Life was looking up for Ashley, and her steps to success were becoming clearer. “Goodwill put me in a position to utilize the tools that were given to me. The team was always open and available to me and helped me along the way.”
Ashley has now been employed with Carter Blood Care for more than six months, and she loves the work that she gets to do each day. She has been reunited with her family, they have their own furnished apartment and two cars so that she and her husband can both get to work. They’ve even been able to pay off some debt! “Our path is moving toward being able to improve our credit and to purchase a home in about two years.”
Ashley is thankful to Goodwill for providing the support, and boost she needed to pursue her goals and care for her family.