How a $1,500 Grant Helped Heather Get Back on the Road—and on a Mission

In talking to Heather, it is easy to understand how she has always been a teacher, a lifelong learner, and a natural leader.

When Heather was released from incarceration, she was determined to use those strengths to build a better future for herself and others like her. Still, despite her determination, she faced significant barriers to stability and employment. That’s where the CA HIRE grant came in—an initiative from the California Workforce Development Board designed to support individuals navigating reentry. Through the grant, Heather received $1,500 in targeted financial assistance to help her get back on her feet. The grant provides training, resources, and critical needs-based payments through the Center for Employment Opportunities’ network of partner organizations. Its goal is to reduce recidivism and empower justice-impacted individuals with the tools for lasting success.

With this support, she hopes to go beyond her circumstances to be an advocate for much-needed systemic change. Namely, Heather wants to help women who have survived or been perpetrators of domestic violence get the support they need.

The cash assistance went toward paying off a six-month car insurance policy so she could get to and from necessary appointments. “That helped me regain some independence upon returning to society,” Heather explains. “It was taking me six hours using public transportation just to get to and from one appointment daily. Now I have no trouble getting around and can continue to be a productive member of society.”

Another challenge Heather faced in her readjustment came when looking for work, due to her conviction. Having served 22 months, she considered her past experience as a teacher, which she did for 16 years. The time was right to try something new. “I pivoted to going back to school,” she says.

Currently, Heather is studying sociology at Sacramento State, having transferred from American River College, where she was initially exploring social work courses. The decision to transfer came after attending an orientation and connecting with Project Rebound, a California program supporting the reintegration and higher education goals of formerly incarcerated people. “It’s the route I want to go,” Heather says. “I’m in a space where I can work to make changes to laws or policies affecting women’s reentry services.”

To Heather, the current support services are minimal. For instance, the Sacramento Community Based Coalition currently offers only one weekday evening class that combines both batterers’ treatment and anger management. According to Heather, men have far more options for similar services. Her goal is to expand the variety of resources available to women upon reentry, ultimately helping “women get our lives back on track.”

“Furthermore, there isn’t vocational training geared toward women,” Heather says. “I’m not downing women who want to be truck drivers, electricians, or construction workers, but I’d love to see more specific training for things women might want to do, for instance, computer skills training. I know a woman who served forty years, just got out, and has no idea about how technology has evolved.”

In addition to her schooling, Heather is working part-time at an educational supplies store and training to become a batterers’ treatment facilitator. In this training, she is helping men and women learn how to identify abusive behaviors and their cycles, building on a year of domestic violence group counseling. She draws on her own experience to do this work.

“I was in a trauma bond with my ex,” she says. “It was often more dangerous to try to leave than it was for me to stay. I’ve experienced law enforcement not doing the right thing and not offering protection, which, when you’re in a cycle where you feel there’s no way, you take matters into your own hands. Nobody should have to feel the way I felt trapped with no options. I want to let women know that they’re not alone in their situation. People can die in these cycles, where does it stop?”

Perhaps the most fateful reversal of Heather’s life is that she is drawing on a long-held love of teaching and learning to help others avoid what she’s gone through. Before her incarceration, Heather worked as a preschool teacher, and now she’s channeling that dedication into helping people on similar paths find a better way forward.

“Knowledge is power,” she says. “I can be a force for change because I lived it. I can help women know where they play a part and how to break the cycle. I’m not here to judge. I survived and value my independence now, so now I just want to help women protect themselves.”

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