In front of a crowd of friendly faces at the Faith Lutheran Church in Vista on Friday, a very special graduation ceremony took place.
“I feel like I have accomplished the world,” said Jenesa Cazare, one of the graduates. “It's better than my high school graduation.”
Cazare arrived at Solutions for Change carrying the heavy burdens of addiction.
“I just went into drugs really early. I started around 10, drinking and then smoking and doing the hardest stuff,” said Cazare. “It brought me to a point where a couple of years ago I got caught trafficking drugs across the border.”
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It was also around this time that Cazare found out she was pregnant with her second child.
“That’s when I decided to turn my life around,” said Cazare.
Cazare had already lost custody of her first child and didn’t want the same to happen with her second. After spending two months in federal prison she applied for the Solutions for Change program.
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“It took me through a journey of learning about myself,” said Cazare.
The organization enrolls homeless individuals in a two-year program that teaches them skills like job hunting, anger management and good parenting.
They also provide housing for the individuals and their families.
“They come to us [with] no home, no car, no job, virtually crippled and really [having had] lost everything,” said Chris Megison, CEO of Solutions for Change. “And then they leave and they have their health, they got their kids back, they have cars now and a home and they're completely restored.”
Megison said they've seen more than 4,300 people successfully go through their program in its 24 years.
“I don't see myself going back into old habits and people and things that I’m not supposed to support,” said Cazare. “Here I have people to go to when I need to. They really do set you up for success.”
Cazare said she's maintained custody of her second child and plans to go back to school and study caregiving.
“It is the beginning of a new era for me,” said Cazare.
