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Jackeline Sahbaz and Sister Rene Turner, a service missionary with Las Vegas Transitional Services, will visit Las Vegas on Monday, August 9, 2021. Sister Turner and husband James volunteer as service missionaries who connect people with resources that can help them get back on their feet.
Courtesy of intellectual property
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Garrett Morris of Oakland, Calif., Operates a forklift truck in Murray on Wednesday, July 21, 2021 at Deseret Industries, a non-profit job training organization owned and operated by the Church. Morris is one of the thousands of beneficiaries who have sought the help of the Transitional Services Initiative to stabilize their lives.
Courtesy of intellectual property
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Christopher Hugie, right, of Logan, will meet with Greg Young, general manager of the Transitional Services Initiative, at the initiative’s office in Welfare Square, Salt Lake City on Wednesday, July 21, 2021. After his release from prison, Hugie worked with Young to find a job.
Courtesy of intellectual property
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Jackeline Sahbaz and Sister Rene Turner, a service missionary with Las Vegas Transitional Services, will visit Las Vegas on Monday, August 9, 2021. Sister Turner and husband James volunteer as service missionaries who connect people with resources that can help them get back on their feet.
Garrett Morris of Oakland, Calif., Operates a forklift truck in Murray on Wednesday, July 21, 2021 at Deseret Industries, a non-profit job training organization owned and operated by the Church. Morris is one of the thousands of beneficiaries who have sought the help of the Transitional Services Initiative to stabilize their lives.
Christopher Hugie, right, of Logan, will meet with Greg Young, general manager of the Transitional Services Initiative, at the initiative’s office in Welfare Square, Salt Lake City on Wednesday, July 21, 2021. After his release from prison, Hugie worked with Young to find a job.
The helplessness and hopelessness of many people leaving serious problems in their lives is being addressed by an initiative of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The Church Transitional Ministries initiative, which has been in operation for more than a decade, continues to expand its reach to help individuals stabilize their lives and return to society.
As of 2019, Transitional Services has helped more than 26,000 people get back on their feet. The story of Garrett Morris is an example of this.
“I’m the type of guy who’s just trying to rebuild my life after a setback,” said the 48-year-old.
Originally from Oakland, California, Morris works as a forklift operator at Deseret Industries in Murray.
“In 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006 I worked too hard and turned to some substances that I shouldn’t have,” he said. As a result, he was imprisoned for almost 10 years.
During his incarceration, the lifelong musician and Latter-day Saint met a church leader in prison who encouraged him to share his musical talents.
This church leader later wrote him a letter that Morris still values today.
“(He) caught me and showed me the direction of transition services before I got out,” said Morris.
“I remember his letter to me saying, ‘You know, that’s what we’re here for. It is a pleasure for us to help so please let us do this because you are lifting people up in prison with music. Let me help you when you get out, ‘”recalls Morris. “I was very lucky with some good people who helped me along the way.”
Upon his release, Morris said the initiative had given him short term help, including clothes, groceries and a bike.
The Church’s Transitional Services Initiative supports people like Morris regardless of religious affiliation. These are men and women who, after leaving prisons, have difficulty standing on their own two feet, are homeless or victim of human trafficking, struggle with mental health problems or domestic violence, and much more, according to the church initiative.
In addition to providing temporary support, Transitional Services also helps people find a job and provides general information on community and government resources to increase their long-term stability.
They have five offices in Utah (Cedar City, Logan, Ogden, Provo, and Salt Lake City) and two more in Las Vegas, Nevada and Mesa, Arizona.
“It took a tremendous load off my shoulders and helped me focus on finding a job,” said Morris. “(It gave me) confidence to get a job because you are at least worth a little help, you feel that you are at least worth the kindness of the feeding, the clothing and the care as you are. That means a lot to someone trying to start over after harming themselves and hurting people. “
The immediate social reintegration support offered by the offices of the transition services Morris and others accompanies the opportunity to work for what they receive.
Morris said that shortly after receiving welfare benefits, church service missionaries linked him with the chance to work as a forklift operator at Deseret Industries. Since then, he has said his personal goals have only increased.
Morris is hoping to go back to school and get a commercial driver’s license so he can drive trucks. He said driving the forklift was a stepping stone.
“My obligation to everyone I’ve ever hurt, be it because of this or any other circumstance, is to be a better person in the future,” said Morris. “So that they still say, ‘I know that you are human, you still deserve something other than punishment.’ For me alone it was a great blessing to function as a person. “
In the Las Vegas office, Jackeline Sahbaz met Elder James Turner and his wife Rene, both service missionaries who provide resources to unemployed single mothers and others in similar situations to help them get back on their feet.
“I needed help because I lost my job for almost a year,” said Sahbaz. “The program has helped me better understand the way you apply for jobs, the way you need to put on your resume, how you need to do the interviews.”
“I think it’s so important to look them in the eye and make them feel like they are worth your while or you won’t be able to make progress,” said Viola Murray, who served as a service missionary in the transitional service office for over four years Salt has served Stadt am See. There she helped women in need who were looking for ways to find their way to recovery.
Murray dedicated her daily volunteer work to state prisons and the Transitional Services Office to listening, identifying needs, and providing resources that could help them rebuild their lives.
“The types of situations that come up here are so different,” said Murray. “I’ve seen everything from human trafficking to addiction to severe poverty, major trauma, PTSD, and just plain poverty and hopelessness. And when they hit that low point, a lot of them come here, and often we are their last resort. And unfortunately some don’t make it here. “
Christopher Hugie, 38, of Logan said he felt hopeless after his release from prison. Over time, he applied for more than 3,000 positions and received only four offers. Employers flinched when they discovered his criminal record.
“The constant rejection. The constant on my face, ‘Hey, I’m sorry, this won’t work,’ “Hugie said.
Greg Young, general manager of Transitional Services who heads the initiative’s offices in the United States, sat next to Hugie.
“I just broke down and started crying,” said Hugie. “It was hard to leave me vulnerable after the end of the prison system, as long as you learned (and) tried to be tough and not let people see your emotions. And having Greg there really cares. That was monumental for me. “
After working as the initiative’s manager for more than 12 years, Young meets people like Hugie every day.
“I do this because I love the people I work with. I love the missionaries I work with every day, ”said Young. “But above all (I do this for) those who come to us, who have special needs, are homeless or temporary, or come from a correctional facility.”
“We are a temporary relief program looking for long-term solutions,” added Young. “Some of our priorities are to preserve life, alleviate suffering and promote the independence of the people here in our offices. That in itself … is also mixed in with focusing on the Savior and the Savior’s love. “
During a brief reunion with Hugie, he announced that in addition to remarrying and looking for an employer who hired him despite his criminal background, he had also completed an associate degree with an almost perfect grade point average.
For people who are facing difficulties now and want to get back on track with the help of Transitional Services, Hugie has offered some wise words.
“Do all the little things that don’t make sense right now and it will make sense later because it works,” he said.
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