Story
Building A New Life
Jean with Spencer Evans, Housing and Employment Specialist at HEI
“I have never regretted, not for one day, that I came here,” says Jean* as he reflects on his journey from Haiti to Massachusetts.
Jean and his wife Marie* made the decision to leave Port-au-Prince seven years ago, to escape the violence and insecurity there. “The whole world sees what’s happening in Haiti,” he says, referring to gun violence perpetrated by gangs. And that violence affects all forms of economic activity, making jobs nearly impossible to find. Jean explains, “I wasn’t working in Haiti. I said, I must leave Haiti to seek a better life.”
The couple first went to Brazil, where Marie soon gave birth to a girl, followed by a boy one year later. Jean was able to find work almost immediately. But, he says, “The amount of money you’re making in Brazil is not enough to help someone in Haiti who is in need. And you have a lot of family in Haiti.” So the young family uprooted themselves again and came to the US in 2023.
“When I arrived, the situation was a little complicated,” Jean says. There was a brand new baby, and the family had used all their savings just to get to this country. Yet they found the support they needed in Massachusetts, where they were accepted into the State’s emergency family shelter system.
When our team began working with Jean and Marie, we created a stabilization plan to meet their unique needs. We helped them obtain work permits. We made sure the family had nutritious, culturally appropriate food and resources to care for their baby. We enrolled their two older children in school and provided them with school supplies. Now, we are working with Jean and Marie to find an apartment of their own where they can live independently.
Both of them have part-time jobs and Jean earns additional money as a delivery driver. “I put myself out there,” he says, “But it’s not because [the team] didn’t want to help me. There are a lot of people here [in the shelter] that they helped to find jobs.”
“The organization helped us. A lot.”
- Jean, father of three
Jean spoke with us in Haitian Creole, and he says that when he first arrived in the US, he didn’t know one word of English. His eyes light up when he tells us that his school-age children speak English and “they’re teaching me to say Good morning.” Jean dreams of owning a large house and being able to give jobs to thousands or even millions of people. He’d like to run an agribusiness that grows and processes grain because, as he says, all of us—even the most powerful—need food to stay alive.
“The organization helped us. A lot,” Jean says. “Because I have a place to sleep. That’s the greatest possible thing. I see a lot of people on the streets. I could be among them. But God granted that today I’m not in the street. The cold isn’t eating me up.
“I thought as soon as I arrived I would be able to find a place to live. That’s the only thing that kind of hurts me. Still, I have courage. Even if I have a problem, I always have a smile.
“My heart is always happy, underneath the problem. That’s what makes me proud of myself.”
UPDATE: Within weeks of our conversation, Jean, Marie, and their children were able to move out of the shelter and into their very own apartment.
*Names changed to protect the clients’ identities.