Meaningful Work after Incarceration

GREENVILLE NEWS

Lynn Hansen doesn't believe the saying "for every no, there's a yes" applies to people like him, particularly when it comes to the job search.

Hansen, 50, said he has served about 14 years in prison on robbery convictions. Having a criminal background increases the challenge of finding a job, he said.

It's "very, very hard to find a job," he said. "There's maybe 1,000 nos and maybe one yes."

Even some staffing agencies, he said, will "trash your application in your face."

"It got so depressing that I like to give up. But I just dusted my knees off, went to see Jerry and he blessed me," Hansen said. "I'm more than grateful."

That blessing came in the form of a job with a new deconstruction company launched by Soteria Development Corp., a Greenville nonprofit founded by the Rev. Jerry Blassingame.