It used to take Youth Moving On (YMO) resident LeRoy Avington five hours to commute round trip from his home in Pasadena to his minimum-wage job as a security guard in Pomona using public transit. Casswell Goodman, YMO’s job development specialist, sprung into action to create a better work situation for LeRoy. He and other staff members arranged for Hillsides to pay Leroy to go to driving school and get a driver’s license. LeRoy had saved enough money to buy a used car, and began driving to his job, shaving hours off his commute.
Next, Casswell helped LeRoy reach his goal of getting a higher paid job as a cadet (security guard) at Pasadena City College, where LeRoy was a student. Casswell also helped him get a second part-time job at the Santa Anita mall as a security guard. Both jobs are near his house and will help LeRoy meet his future career goal of getting a job in law enforcement. “I have gotten endless support from Cass and the entire staff,” said LeRoy. “They helped me figure out what I needed to do to get where I want to in life.” To learn more about YMO, please visit www.youthmovingon.org.
