Flomanda vividly remembers a time when she lived under a bridge in Downtown Los Angeles with her mother and two brothers. She was eight years old. Her mother had struggled with substance abuse for as long as Flomanda could remember, and their world was often marked by transience, instability, and hardship – a truth many community members experience in our Skid Row neighborhood.
At 12 years old, Flomanda began to lose herself when she tried drugs for the first time. Not long after, she was selling them to support herself and her family. In the years that followed, Flomanda would experience periods in and out of the system, and at 17 years old, her world was turned upside down when she gave birth to a baby girl. A child herself, battling addiction, and uncertain of how to escape the only lifestyle she had ever known, Flomanda wasn’t prepared to give her daughter the life she knew she deserved. “I didn’t have patience,” she shared, “and I didn’t love myself. How could I love someone else if I didn’t love myself?”
Despite the voice inside that told Flomanda to get on the right track, she wouldn’t be ready to take the necessary steps until years later. Finding out that her brother had been killed while Flomanda was in prison was the catalyst she needed, and when she got out, she was more motivated than ever to build a different future for herself and her family.
After years of feeling lost, Flomanda decided to get clean and find a job. “I found myself,” she shared. Yet despite securing a telemarketing position, Flomanda struggled to find stable housing. And when she received word that her position would become commission-based, Flomanda knew she needed someone else in her corner in order to stay on the right path.
Flomanda is described by her Employment Specialist as someone who “hits the ground running and does whatever it takes to get the job done,” a fact confirmed by the pair of two pairs of work boots she wore through while working a transitional job with Chrysalis Enterprises. As was the case with the first pair, a voucher provided by Chrysalis would cover the cost of the second – which didn’t last too much longer.
Working in Skid Row – as a street maintenance worker for the Downtown Center Business Improvement District (DC BID) – sometimes means encountering challenging circumstances, and time and time again, Flomanda was commended for staying calm, collected, and professional under pressure while on the job. For these reasons and more, it is no surprise that she was recognized as Employee of the Quarter by the DC BID three short months after starting her new transitional job.
While working a transitional job with our social enterprise, Flomanda was working closely with her Employment Specialist on her search for employment outside of Chrysalis’ program. She reflects, “My Employment Specialist told me not to second guess myself. She reminded me to always move forward, and she made me believe in who I am today.” The individualized support Flomanda received from her case manager is one of the things that sticks with her most to this day.
Flomanda improved her confidence during practice interviews and received support to reinstate her driver’s license. Then, she got a call from Chrysalis’ Direct Hire program. Our hiring partner, The Glendale BID, wanted her to come in for an interview. A quick trip to our resource room ensured that Flomanda had interview appropriate attire, and a TAP card was provided to cover the cost of transportation.
Before the interview, Flomanda sat with her daughter to practice answering potential questions. When she walked in to meet with her future employer, she held her head high – she had all the tools and drive she needed to land this position. A few weeks later, Flomanda received an offer to start working with the BID the following day.
It took time, but thanks to the encouragement she received at Chrysalis and her incredible sense of work ethic and resiliency, Flomanda broke the cycle of poverty, addiction, and criminal activity which had defined her all those years, changing the trajectory of her life.
Recently, Flomanda purchased a car, and she and her daughter moved into a new two bedroom apartment where the sound of her young grandson’s feet can be heard pitter-pattering up and down the hall. “I can’t correct myself on something that already happened. But what I can do is show my daughter that I can be her mother. I didn’t think she would ever get back to loving me, but she does.”
Today, Flomanda is employed and recognized by members of the Glendale community for her dedication to going above and beyond to keep her route in pristine shape. Today, Flomanda is housed and present as a mother and grandmother. Today, Flomanda loves her family and herself. Today, Flomanda is no longer lost.