Day Is a Cut Above for Homeless Men Eager to Get Ahead

IRVINE — Because he says those days are in his past, Juan Hernandez talks openly about being a former gang member, struggling with a drug problem and spending time in prison.

The 30-year-old homeless man said he took one more step toward a fresh start Sunday by attending an all-day event geared toward helping men in crisis turn their lives around.

More than 75 men from six Orange County shelters participated in the first Day of Self-Esteem for Men, which included a career fair, seminars and a resume-writing workshop. It culminated with each man receiving a professional wardrobe and grooming services.

Sponsored by Working Wardrobes for a New Start, a nonprofit group started in 1990, the event was held at Irvine City Hall. More than 100 volunteers served as personal shoppers, hairstylists, food servers and valets. Seminar speakers and local companies donated their services or contributed financial support.

“When I was growing up in the barrios of Santa Ana, surrounded by drugs, alcohol, incest, gangs and child abuse, I figured at some point, ‘Why not just give up and join the crowd?’ ” Hernandez said as he talked about his former lifestyle. “At some point, that’s exactly what I did.”

He joined gangs and began using drugs. He dropped out of school, and he ended up in prison. That’s where he met the chaplain who would be instrumental in helping to point him in another direction.

Wearing his new suit and shoes, Hernandez reflected on what Sunday’s event meant for him.

“Today is very important to me because it shows me that people do care,” he said. “It’s very touching. I have goals and dreams like everyone else, and today was a chance for us to show others that we are just like them, except we’ve had problems.”

Hernandez said he has been working hard at resisting his past and is proud to have been “serving the Lord for the past four years.”

“I got my GED while I was in prison, and I’m in college now and I make straight A’s,” he said. “I am living at the Orange County Rescue Mission, but I’m working part-time. My dream is to get my degree and to one day have a wife and a family. Someday, I hope to be a preacher.”

Roger May, a volunteer and personal shopper for the event, said working to help others has been rewarding.

“I think it’s hard for men to ask for help, but they need some of the services just as much as women do,” he said. “The transformations I’ve seen today in some of these men is incredible. They are standing taller and are filled with pride.”

Some men said the day reinforced their desires to stay on the right track.

John Rush, 34, from Long Beach, said he began drinking and using cocaine when he was about 15, after he had been living on the streets and had been molested. “My life was on a definite downward spiral,” he said.

“I always managed to get good jobs later on, but I would spend most of the money on drugs. A couple of years ago, I sat down and put it all on paper and figured I had spent about $100,000 on cocaine over a period of 10 years.”

He said he’s been off drugs and alcohol for eight months and is trying to stay clean.

“I will remember this event today for the rest of my life,” he said. “The fact that people care enough to do this for us is just amazing. I’m sitting here talking to you while wearing a suit from Nordstrom’s. I’ve just had my hair cut and a manicure. It’s just such a good feeling and makes me feel great.

“I don’t feel patronized in any way today by any of the people here. I’ve received genuine smiles and firm handshakes from every business person I’ve talked to. I feel like I’m on my way now, and when I think back on this event in a few weeks or a few months, it will give me incentive to keep going with my dreams.”

The men wrapped up their day by gathering for a group photo. Wearing their new suits and shoes, and with the sunlight streaming through the windows, they were all smiles.