Marie St.Juste was granted asylum on August 26th and enrolled in the IRC match-grant employment program on September 8th. Since then, IRC Miami has been helping the mother of three adjust to her life and search for a job. Marie was a project manager for a Catholic non-profit organization in Haiti and speaks English very well, which should help her find a job.
Marie’s situation is especially difficult because she lives with her three children in a small room about the size of an office. She has no family in Miami and is located in a remote area in Homestead with scarce job opportunities and slow public transportation. It is very difficult for Marie to care for her three children and look for a job at the same time. She won’t let any of these obstacles slow her down though. IRC Miami helped Marie get Medicaid and food stamps and gave her a health assessment referral for a free checkup and vaccines. An IRC volunteer watched Marie’s 1 year-old so that she could come to the IRC warehouse and pick up donated furniture. Her 11 and 13 year-olds have been enrolled in school.
Marie is determined and eager to find a job. She is never late for an appointment, even though she has to wake up at 6am to make it to the IRC office by 10am. She has worked with the IRC employment team to create a resume. She diligently calls to check to see if there are any job openings in her area. Her caseworker, Guy, hopes to be able to relocate Marie from Homestead to an area that is more culturally suitable for her and has more employment opportunities. Guy and the rest of the IRC Miami employment team are working to help Marie start her new life in Miami and become self-sufficient.
