Life experiences help with homeless, marginalized
Jennifer Bourgeois is with her mother on the set of the TV show, “Great Day Houston.”
“We got divorced in 1994, and it was like everything hit the fan. Instead of bucking up and doing the right things, I fell off. That’s when I really got into the alcohol, drugs and stuff. I struggled for years, and I went to rehab in 2008.
“When the police stop you and you ask them to give you one more chance and they say you’ve had enough chances, then you know it’s serious. I faced either six months of rehab and four years of probation, or I could do four years at TDC. That was a pretty easy decision.
“I knew I couldn’t fix things by myself. I needed help. One of the programs I went through was Brigid’s Hope at The Beacon in Houston. That’s when I realized I needed to deal with me. It wasn’t an alcohol problem, a drug problem, sex, money, whatever. It was me.
“One of the social workers over outreach and case management at The Beacon wrote a grant to try to involve former clients. Through that, I ended up getting a job there. Working there and helping people, that was probably the best time of my life. It was an awesome job. We were helping homeless and marginalized people get back on their feet. I helped so many people find jobs, and I took checks to go pay their first month’s rent for them so they could have a place to live. I think what helped me be successful was that I brought my own life experiences to that role. I had been homeless. I had done drugs.
“Unfortunately, I ended up losing the job when the funding ran out. But there are people I was the case manager for or I was in rehab with who still message me today. They ask if I can help them find this or that, and I do what I can for them. They’re still trying to make it through life, day by day, just like me.”
— Jennifer Bourgeois
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