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Old 08-17-2015, 09:25 AM
 
6,389 posts, read 4,098,339 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Serpentessa View Post
I'm trying to help a close friend who got on the wrong path and is trying to get on the right path.

What are some options for someone who can't get a job and can't go to college either?

The person I'm trying to help can't get a job due to having a criminal record, and they can't go to college because they can't get financial aid due to tax issues.

Most people are either in school or working...those are the two traditional paths. However, for this person, neither of those options is available for the reasons cited above.

And the criminal record isn't something that most employers would overlook...it looks pretty bad (multiple charges of fraud). I know some employers like McDonald's will overlook if you have a misdemeanor charge or something, but these are felony fraud charges that even McDonald's-type employers aren't likely to overlook. So getting a job is completely off the table for a while.

On top of all of that, her credit is terrible due to the fact that she cannot work anymore and therefore can't pay any of her past credit card and other remaining bills.

And this person doesn't want to do anything even remotely illegal at this point...that means please don't suggest selling drugs or prostitution or something stupid like that.

She's currently living with friends and family, but wants to make a life for herself. But she's feeling pretty stuck.

She has been looking at gigs, but most gigs are either labor or adult work. By labor gigs, I mean labor that is meant for male applicants (e.g. moving furniture, carpentry, etc.)...she's quite thin and weak, so she's not really qualified to do the labor gigs. And she cannot do adult work (that would only further ruin her reputation and chances of gainful employment in the future).

She has literally $0 at this point.

How can a person in this situation get back on their feet?

I will relay any helpful information to the friend I'm trying to help...helpful suggestions are very much appreciated. Thank you.
OP, please tell your friend to look into being a flagger at construction sites. They are typically paid pretty well. My contractors, for example, pay their entry level flaggers $17/hr, which is a lot compared to many others. It's not labor intensive and it comes with full benefits as a laborer. Most importantly, they don't care if she has a criminal record. There's little chance she can commit fraud flagging if you know what I mean.

The down side to this job is she will have to wake up at 3 am every day to expect a phone call from her foreman if she will work on that day. Good flaggers will get called back every day. Mediocre ones get called a couple times a week. Bad ones don't get called at all.
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Old 08-17-2015, 09:45 AM
 
3,852 posts, read 4,140,301 times
Reputation: 7866
OP: Goodwill offers programs for people with criminal backgrounds to help them find work. Find a Job | Goodwill Industries International, Inc. Scroll about halfway down the page to the section titled People With Criminal Backgrounds.

Quote:
Here are some ways Goodwill can support you during your journey:

Pre-release services: Get a head start on building your work skills and obtaining the necessary documentation to start your job search before you are released.

Basic skills development: Prepare for your GED, and take ESL or other basic education classes.

Employment-readiness training: Develop the soft skills that help you succeed at work, including interviewing and workplace communication techniques.

Occupational skills training: Learn a skill or trade that can help you get back to work or move on to a better job.

Job placement assistance: Open doors to employment opportunities at companies and organizations committed to giving people with criminal backgrounds a second chance.

Life skills: Gain new skills to help you improve other areas of your life, such as parenting, relationship and communication skills.
If there is a Goodwill where she lives, she can avail herself of their services.
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Old 08-17-2015, 10:20 AM
 
51,619 posts, read 25,681,640 times
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Contact the local Vocational Rehab office and ask about ex-offender re-entry programs. They are all over the country.

With felony fraud convictions, tax/credit report problems, and limited physical skills, her job opportunities will be limited. But an ex-offender program will be her best bet to finding what careers are open to her now, what might be available after three years, and what local employers are open to hiring those with a questionable past.

I thought hooking people up with resources was part of discharge planning. No?
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Old 08-17-2015, 10:21 AM
 
Location: North Idaho
32,565 posts, read 47,729,085 times
Reputation: 78078
Any job typically worked by undocumented aliens. Those employers are keeping their eyes closed about backgrounds. Hotel maids, dishwashers, anything to do with construction. Maybe she can learn to paint. Stall cleaner, gardener. ...

She can get a truck driver's license at no cost to herself. There is demand for truck drivers, although she will be ineligible for the best paying jobs where she would have to be bonded. Lots of women drive tractor trailer rigs.
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Old 08-17-2015, 11:37 AM
 
3,484 posts, read 3,183,374 times
Reputation: 6503
She needs to realize that she is perceived as a lifelong criminal - fraud convictions usually frame you for life. It's just the nature of the thing. It's worse than drug stuff. In general, 20+ years of a clean record is minimum to enter the job market after a fraud conviction. Yup. Kiddie molesters are about the only ones given a worse break. If this is a woman, her best bet is to get a makeover, get that bod perfect as she can, and find a gullible man (and keep her hands out of his wallet). Simply put, she's literally sitting on the only means of a comfortable life she could possibly acquire. Name change (and, btw, I'd start there) is a possible other way but the internet is quite powerful and she'll still need to be careful who finds out what.
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Old 08-17-2015, 03:13 PM
 
9,694 posts, read 7,363,100 times
Reputation: 9931
the whole point of not doing the crime is that it will effect your future. I know that sound like a cop out but it needs to be driven in the heads of youth before they make their bed. I have no answer for how, maybe picking up garbage on side of road. Those that do behave themselves should have first choice.
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Old 08-17-2015, 04:31 PM
 
34,274 posts, read 19,312,630 times
Reputation: 17256
Run her own business. Oddly enough few people think to ask to run the criminal history of the housekeeper agency.....

Even if its a agency of 1.
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Old 08-17-2015, 05:43 PM
 
1,006 posts, read 1,507,407 times
Reputation: 922
Go into trucking and avoid anything that even looks illegal.
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Old 08-18-2015, 06:13 AM
 
51,619 posts, read 25,681,640 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TwinbrookNine View Post
If this is a woman, her best bet is to get a makeover, get that bod perfect as she can, and find a gullible man (and keep her hands out of his wallet). Simply put, she's literally sitting on the only means of a comfortable life she could possibly acquire. Name change (and, btw, I'd start there) is a possible other way but the internet is quite powerful and she'll still need to be careful who finds out what.
This is the tried and true path.

What was the name of the woman who turned herself in after several decades as a doctor's wife?

I think she had been involved in bank robbery or some such with a group like the SLA.
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