SAN JOSE, Calif. -- After seven years of homelessness and an arrest that landed him behind bars, 50-year-old Raymond Abels never dreamed he’d be in a position to help others struggling to overcome life on the streets.
As part of a new 15-inmate vocational training program at Santa Rita Jail in Alameda County, Abels volunteers several days a week putting together furniture for people in need. The finished pieces – desks, dressers, nightstands and more – are distributed by the Bay Area Furniture Bank to people and families transitioning out of homelessness.
To Abels, who is awaiting sentencing on a conviction for stealing cars, the chance to take this small step toward giving back and turning his life around is a “small miracle.” He gets emotional when he talks about it.
