HOST JACKIE TANTILLO - She Forgave Her Mother In Order to Heal From Addiction, Abuse and Incarceration with Guest Director of Supportive Housing, the Osborne Association/Marcus Garvey, Christina Green

Do you believe in 2nd chances in life? How about 3rd or 4th chances? Sometimes we feel down on our luck, but most of us can't truly comprehend the depth of that statement, and how it relates to those who have been incarcerated, including those incarcerated for decades with no real education  and no work experience to help them when released. New York Times reporter, Ginia bellafante, wrote the article "Starting Over After Years in Prison: a Compassionate Path."  It was published Sunday, April 2, 2023 and highlighted the challenge of reintegrating older people after dacades of being incarcerated and reintroducing them to society without skills or a comprehensive education.Also mentioned in the NY Times article is Christina Green, the  director of the “Marcus Garvey supportive housing program in Brownsville, Brooklyn. In March 2019, after her release from incarceration, she joined the “Workforce Development Group”, which lead her to a position as a ‘community health worker.  In time, Christina rose to ‘program director’ at the ‘HJN’-The Health Justice Network, which in turn lead her to her current position as ‘program director’ at Marcus Garvey beginning in March 2022." Christina is invested in paying forward the support she received to other people reentering society. She says that most applicants who have been approved, spent about 20-40 years incarcerated. Marcus Garvey provides permanent housing and additional reentry services for people returning from incarceration. From financial and tech literacy classes to interview preparation, Christina hopes to make these important reentry services easier to access for residents at Marcus Garvey.One of the biggest obstacles Christina had to overcome was forgiving her mother as well as her stepfather in order to heal and turn her life around. She's committed to helping others who have had similar experiences with substance abuse and incarceration and is "grateful for the journey." "I feel I can be a light and bring other people to recovery and help to give them the tools in order to succeed after their incarceration." Osborne Association:https://www.osborneny.org/http....s://www.osborneny.or Daytop Village:http://www.samaritanvillage.org/index.phpNew York City Housing Authority (NYCHA)https://www.nyc.gov/site/nycha/index.page