There is a place called "Victory House" in Burbank. Many of these men were released from prison & they have an ongoing 12 step recovery program. The men all work together getting their lives together.

I used to lead certain meetings there and got to know many of these people.  Women would also go to the meetings.

One day, my jeep broke down.  Two of the men jumped and helped push it to my apartment.

I had hired some of these guys off and on to do various tasks as well cause I sometimes needed help.

One of the men, who pushed my car generously also communicated effectively. I hired him to help me with a few things.

I asked him, "what his dream was".  He told me that his dream was to work with kids, to stop them from having the life he had.  He also told me he didn't even have the money to catch a bus to go search for jobs.  Well, I hired him and paid him, although I didn't have much money myself.  I told him to go get that job.

He found one and came back and told me disheartened that they turned him down because of his record.  He seemed so sad and without hope. Working for the city, through the city seemed impossible.

He went and started reading some laws, and inside the laws he found something important and went back to them with those laws telling them they couldn't discriminate against him. They hired him on the spot.

A little while later, maybe months he now had his own nice car, a suit, looked like he had confidence and told me he had been working with kids. 

This is a success story.  All he wanted to do was work with kids to change their lives and he did.  Although, they turned him down at first, they realized that he wouldn't stand on the outside judging these kids, but had first hand experience as to how it could be for kids who were neglected, abused, left to fend for themselves, in poverty, despair, and how drugs and drink were pushed around the streets.

He was highly respectful, trustworthy, and I could tell from his whole demeanor at first, that he would be good for any job, program, or company.  The way he treated me, with the utmost respect, well, told me that he was more law abiding than many people who had never been sent to prison.  He didn't drink, take drugs, respects women, cares about children, is honest, wouldn't steal a dollar, and well you couldn't ask for a more worthy person. I met many of these people though and there are more experiences.