Jaime’s Success Story

Denzell White’s Success Story

Denzell White came to us in 2016 looking for employment opportunities that would help him pay for his college expenses. Shortly after, he enrolled in our young adult employment program, completed a job readiness workshop, received security training (at no cost to him), and was ultimately placed in a security position. When Denzell showed interest in joining the military, he applied his learned skills to excel in the U.S. Army National Guard.

Our Job Placement Programs assisted more than 650 individuals to find employment last year.

Karen’s Success Story

“The process could not be easier. I called up, I got an appointment, I went in and gave my information… The next thing I know, there’s a letter and a card in the mail. NADAP is welcoming, comfortable, and friendly, and that’s the security I had trusted them with my healthcare, which is so valuable.”

Karen was faced with rising healthcare costs that she could no longer afford. Karen called NADAP and was introduced to Chin, NADAP’s Health Insurance Coordinator. Chin helped Karen find a plan that immediately saved her money and covered a $30,000 hospital bill. Having the stability of affordable health insurance, Karen is now able to focus on her health and recovery.

Jamie’s Success Story

“NADAP, an organization of angels:”

 “Life was terribly unstructured for me. I was struggling with addiction, mental issues, homelessness, debt, and my world was so toxic. I felt like I was going around an endless cycle of dead ends. I had no direction, no hope, and the people around me didn’t know how to support me nor had the time to as most of them were facing similar battles.”

        “While in recovery from addiction, I saw a post advertising NADAP’s services. It states that they helped those with my condition or similar ones find resources they may need as far as employment. At the time, I was struggling to find suitable work and so I thought, “let me give this a shot”. I was hesitant at first but still, I made an appointment and upon arriving at orientation, I met the beautiful staff there. To be honest, I thought this was going to be the typical government workshops where the instructor just lectures memorized scripts, makes you fill out applications, and then the caseworker will just send you on jobs that come their way. My experience was not as such.”

     “During orientation, the resilient Angie Martinez, met our group with open arms and charisma. She made me feel like she was one of us, she worked with each person individually assessing their weaknesses when it came to interviewing and suggested highly helpful tips to execute an interview at an optimal level. During the orientation, other staff angels were Introduced to us that had different specialties. For instance, the great LaShondra Jones, a peer advocate, stood in during some sessions, she provided some great personal experiences and explained her role in our mentoring as a Peer advocate. The different caseworkers, I, unfortunately, forgot their names, introduced themselves with their different personalities, and shared their highly essential advice on interviewing and demeanor while simulating mock interviews. I felt like I was in an interview boot camp for that session with my particular caseworker.”

       “What makes NADAP stand out to me is: when the COVID 19 pandemic first broke out and NYC was on shutdown, Ms. Martinez constantly checked in on me, making sure that not only was I okay personally but that I was on top of my work search game. She even asked if I needed her help to physically apply to these jobs because she knew that I was having a difficult time staying focused and following through due to my condition. Ms. Jones did the same whilst suggesting different ways to exercise and keep healthy during the pandemic. Not only did they go out of their way in helping me find work and being a friend, but they also helped connect me to free trainings and housing assistance resources.”

          “Although, my circumstances is still ongoing, just knowing that NADAP’s staff at the Lexington Ave location will go above and beyond to see that I succeed just gave me more motivation and the hope that I needed to follow through no matter my condition. If they were able to see the potential in me, I should be able to see the potential in myself and fly! I would definitely recommend NADAP to anyone experiencing struggling with life and the hindrances of being underserved. And I recommend, Ms. Jones and Ms. Martinez as your peer advocates because they really do all that they can to make sure you live a better and stronger lifestyle. Thank you NADAP for all your dedication, hard work, and compassion for those underserved. And thank you for not giving up on those who have already given”

Jordan’s Success Story

In March 2018, Jordan Levy was referred to NADAP by a homeless shelter and enrolled in our youth employment program.  He completed the job-readiness workshop and our Job Developer sent him to Horsepower Electric where Jordan started as an Electrician’s Apprentice.  As a result of his hard work and perseverance, within 4 months he was promoted to a management position.  Jordan was recently featured in the New York Times Neediest Cases Fund. We are so proud of Jordan and his achievement.

Jamal’s Success Story

Jamal, a 48-year-old single father of two was referred to NADAP for employment services in early 2017. During his initial assessment, Jamal’s short and long term goals were to obtain his CASAC license and a degree in Social Work. For two years, beginning in March 2017 Jamal accepted and participated in internships that, while garnering him the needed hard skills required for his career path, unfortunately, did not lead to a transition into employment. In April 2019 Jamal met with his Case Manager to reconfirm his career goals and was provided with one-on-one interview skills counseling and updated his resume to include his internships. In May 2019 NADAP placed Jamal with one of our Community Service non-profit partners as an Administrative Assistant. In that internship, Jamal also acquired hard skills as a Peer Mentor.  Within 2 months and by the first week of July 2019, Jamal successfully interviewed and was hired by EAC Network as a Peer Mentor with a 20-hour employment schedule. Two weeks later Mr. Williams was contacted by his previous internship site and was offered another 20-hour employment opportunity also as a Peer Mentor providing him full-time combined employment and income. Jamal’s next goal is to enroll in York College for his bachelor’s degree in Sociology.