by Michelle Salgado Allen,
Learning Center Manager
Sam arrived at Our House in the fall of 2011 after
losing his job due to cutbacks at a local paper.
After a long unsuccessful job search and the death
of his younger sister, Sam found himself falling
into a deep depression. He says those were some
of his darkest days. “I had simply lost hope. I was
a dinosaur in the writing world where everything
had gone digital, and I wasn’t entirely sure I could
repurpose myself.”
“
Sam came to Our House and embarked on another
unsuccessful job search. “I left no stone unturned,
but it seemed I had been ousted by a younger,
more tech-savvy generation.” He knew he needed
to connect with a new skill set that would open up
other employment opportunities, so he decided to
enroll in Job Skills and became an intern as a
guard attendant on the Our House campus. He
took part in the Moving UP education program as
well and attended a 3-week computer skills course
called Hands-On IT offered through the Learning
continued on pg 16
Top left: Sam uses a computer in the Learning Center to keep
up his blog. Left: Last fall, Ruth Scroggin donated a bike, in
honor of her commuter-cyclist physical therapist, for a resident in need of transportation. Sam was the chosen recipient.
”