Graduate from post-incarceration rehab program in Greenville receives tiny home
TRAVELERS REST, S.C. —
A man who cycled through prisons across the United States for most of his adult life will be the first graduate of a post-incarceration program to receive a home of his own.
Oscar Jimenez grew up in Los Angeles, California. He was the middle of three brothers, all raised by a single mother.
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Jimenez fell into a drug habit and was incarcerated at 18 years old. From there, he spent years in and out of incarceration.
"I try and search for a new beginning. And I kind of fell into the same behavior. It can just become a way of life, you know?" Jimenez remembers feeling scared, alone and uncertain he could find a path forward.
"I was really just trying to break the cycle," Jimenez said.
Soteria founder Jerry Blassingame said the resources are slim for returning citizens because of collateral consequences. These are penalties barring people who have criminal records from employment, voting and housing.
Blassingame said there are 6,000 in South Carolina, leaving many to restart from nothing. This breeds uncertainty, fear and often going back to what is familiar.
"This is a very hard process, and we need individuals in our community to think about those who have paid their debt to society," Blassingame said.
This was the catalyst for Soteria to build on-site housing for its graduates. Jimenez is the recipient of the organization's first tiny home: the Murphy.
Blassingame said it was designed with the help of students from the Greenville Fine Arts Center and community partners close to home. After three years of planning and construction, Jimenez will get to call the Murphy home in just a few months.
"We are able to rent these places to a person. It is probably their first house that they will receive after incarceration," Blassingame said.
Still bare bones, but Jimenez sees it as his biggest blessing. A chance at a new life, living inside those walls.
We asked him what he is most excited for when he moves in and calls it home:
"Being independent and being able to say that I was able to overcome all the stuff that I've been through," said Jimenez.
He credits the help of God, his little brother and Soteria for finding hope when he was not sure where he would end up.
After graduating from the rehabilitation program, Jimenez took his appreciation a step further. He works for the program on multiple fronts, including harvesting tomatoes from the garden to give to first responders and others in need. Other days, he is using the wood collected from abandoned homes to create furniture in the Soteria woodshop.
Jimenez plans to buy a vehicle and visit his family and friends, who still live on the West Coast. He is particularly close with his mother and brother.
He said he carries their pride on his shoulders every step of the journey.
"She doesn't have to worry about me anymore and stuff like that. Something that kind of a burden is lifted on her heart," Jimenez said. "Soteria, they believe in me, without even knowing me. They never gave up on me. And they're willing to pour all these resources into me. I'm really excited to move into my tiny home and just move on to the next phase of my life."
