Job Center of Lake County tries to lay groundwork for careers: ‘I wanted to serve people’

Working in a family business can be satisfying for a lot of people, but it did not allow Marcelo Avelar of Gurnee to follow his calling to help people whose unwise decisions negatively impacted their lives.

Connecting with the Job Center of Lake County put Avelar on an 18-month path from a family roofing business providing a good livelihood to becoming a community outreach coordinator for the Hope Center in Lake Zurich.

Now Avelar helps people released from prison overcome the obstacles of readjusting to society both emotionally and economically by mentoring them and finding resources they might need.

“I feel great,” Avelar said. “Working at the Hope Center is amazing. I’m in awe I can do what I was called to do and provide for my family while I’m doing it.”

People seeking work through the Job Center of Lake County find it through a referral, as Avelar did; others walk into the organization’s office in downtown Waukegan, and still more meet with a job counselor like Yadira Guzman in one of the locations of Job Center on the Move.

Guzman, a career research specialist, met with people seeking help to find a job and sustain themselves while they search during a Job Center on the Move outing last week at the Waukegan Township office in downtown Waukegan, assisting those who may need help.

Among the things Guzman said she helps people do are prepare a strong resume, teach them about growth businesses in their area, and find places that have internships — many of which are paid — or other sources of revenue while in training.

More people are coming for help because legislation passed last year now requires people to work at least 80 hours a month to qualify for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Guzman said time spent looking for work or training qualifies.

With a variety of reasons an individual may prefer going to one of the Job Center’s satellite locations in a setting more comfortable or reachable for them, Guzman said each month a representative spends a few hours helping people at a different location.

“Some folks have a problem with transportation,” Guzman said. “Some people come where they already have a caseworker. A lot of people have a background and may not feel comfortable walking into a government office,” she added, referring to the rationale for making the Legacy Reentry Foundation one of the eight monthly stops.

Though Avelar was referred to the Job Center of Lake County through the Hope Center to provide a source of funding during his transition, he said his calling was helping people released from prison find work and rebuild their lives. He was once in the same situation.

When he was 16, Avelar said “hanging around with people who were a bad influence” led him to make a wrong decision. He was arrested on charges of home invasion and, at 17, was sentenced to prison. His incarceration began in June of 2016, and he was released in January of 2023, when he joined the family roofing business.

“It was not my passion,” Avelar said. “I wanted to serve people. The Hope Center helped me do that. I started as a volunteer.”

Volunteering with the Hope Center, helping people who were formerly in prison, Avelar said people there realized he was a potential full-time employee. They referred him to the Job Center, where he learned a variety of skills like using a computer and developing relationships.

At the Job Center, Avelar said they helped him get funding so he was able to work at his “calling” and be economically sustainable at the same time. He is now married with children. He said an increase in pay is coming soon.

Jennifer Serino, the Job Center’s executive director, said there are programs funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act that provide funding for people working in paid or unpaid internship programs while they are learning a new job.

When people come to one of the Job Center on the Move locations, Guzman said they can have a variety of needs. Most people who have not prepared a resume in recent years need assistance because of societal changes.

“Some people will sit down with their laptop right here and do their resume with our help,” she said. “A lot of people haven’t done one in 10 to 15 years.”

When people come to the Job Center who may be underemployed, Guzman said guidance is given. One person who worked for years as a housekeeper moved into a career as a certified nursing assistant. Training and funding were available.

Along with the Waukegan Township office and Legacy Reentry Foundation, Guzman said Job Center on the Move goes to the Avon Township Office in Round Lake Park, the Highwood Library and Community Center, the Illinois Department of Human Services in Waukegan, the North Chicago Public Library, PADS Lake County in Waukegan, and the Zion-Benton Public Library.