Tawnee McCluskey was arrested for distributing meth in Michigan City, Indiana when she was 22 years old. A struggling addict with a five-month-old son, she’d become caught up in a 40-person drug ring to feed her habit. She was charged with a felony and spent three years in prison.
When McCluskey got out, she struggled to find a job and pay the bills.
“It was overwhelming,” she recalls. “I had a lot of anxiety [when I was first applying for jobs]. The first time you’re walking out, it’s like you’re saying [to employers], 'Hi, I’m a felon.'”
Things began to turn around, however, when she found out about the Jane Addams Resource Corporation (JARC), a nonprofit that offers job training and workforce development programs.
McCluskey enrolled in classes at JARC, honing her welding skills, working on job readiness and developing her resume. JARC provided income support so she could afford to buy bus passes and move into an apartment. Financial coaches cleaned up her tainted credit score.
“My success shows that … people can come back from [their mistakes] and do well in the community.”