When the caseworkers met 58-year-old Mike, he shared about his reflections during his time at the halfway house. Mike was working as a cleaning supervisor and supporting himself with a nett salary of $1,400 before his incarceration.

Recalling how incarceration has changed his life, Mike shared about how he feels distant from his siblings after losing their trust, something that he took for granted. He also faces challenges reintegrating into the society, but hopes to work on reconciling his relationships with his family first. Mike was living with his elder sister, who works as a cleaner but is struggling due to her health issues. He is the youngest among his 12 siblings, of which 7 of them have passed on.

Despite his health issues, Mike is taking steps to rebuild his life and reconcile relationships with his siblings. He suffers from osteoarthritis in his knees, bilateral optic neuropathy secondary to glaucoma and nutritional deficit, adjustment disorder, among other conditions. In spite of that, he has started attending driving and forklift courses to upgrade himself to prepare for employment.

Ray of Hope wishes to raise $2,000 ($500 x 4 months) to support Mike in preparing for his employment as he works towards self-resilience.

*Mike is not receiving social assistance.