Jessica Nowlan’s story began on the streets of San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood, an area of the city known for its high crime rate, drug use, and homelessness. There, as a young girl, Jessica experienced living on the streets, life in the underground economy, and being incarcerated seventeen times. A young woman caught up in a cycle of violence, poverty and incarceration, her experiences not unusual for many marginalized women and girls.
Approximately 582,462 people in the U.S. are homeless, with more than a quarter of those women, some with children. Nationwide, women make up about 34% of the homeless population.
As of 2022, women make up roughly 10% of the total incarcerated population in the U.S. with about 88,000 in state and federal prisons and about 93,000 in local jails.
Breaking the cycle of homelessness and incarceration is extremely difficult. With just a 7th grade education, Jessica not only broke out of the homeless trap, she founded Reimagine Freedom, with the goal of using her story to empower and inspire others.
The turning point?
Jessica knew she had the power to turn her life around when she was hired directly from juvenile detention by the Young Women’s Freedom Center (YWFC), paid double minimum wage, giving her the opportunity to escape the underground street economy. It was then that for the first time, she was in an environment that didn’t just see her struggles or blame her for them but recognized her potential.
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