Helen Mwaluko – Harlem PROS

A woman with long braids standing in front of a white wall

It was a hot summer night and Helen Mwaluko was coming back home after a long day at work as a home health aide. She felt disoriented and not quite herself. She had never felt like this, so she took herself to the hospital. There she was diagnosed with severe depression and exhaustion. She would […]

Goodwill expands to its first behavioral health services program in Manhattan

A group of people holding a red ribbon

Goodwill Industries® of Greater NY and Northern NJ held a grand opening ceremony to launch officially its first Personalized Recovery Oriented Services (PROS) program in Manhattan to help New Yorkers living with mental health conditions to stay healthy, gain employment, and achieve life goals New York City, NY – October 17, 2023 – Goodwill Industries® […]

Stephanie Santana – Personalized Recovery Oriented Services

Image of Stephanie Santana

Stephanie Santana, a single Hispanic woman in her thirties, had worked for many years in the mailroom of IST Management Services, a printing, records and electronic document management company, until she injured her knee and decided to resign. Born and raised in Harlem, a neighborhood in Northern Manhattan in New York City, she had struggled […]

Maria Pizarro Flores – Peer Advocacy Leadership Program

Maria Pizarro Flores, a Bronx widow in her sixties diagnosed with major depressive, panic, and anxiety disorders, had worked as a nurse in her native Puerto Rico. She had lived in NYC for the past 38 years. Since becoming unemployed, she had lived with friends and her adult children for long periods. But she didn’t […]

Julius Latimer, Northern NJ Services

Julius Latimer, a 34-year-old Black man residing in Hoboken, NJ, came to Goodwill in April 2022 for assistance with securing a job. Despite having previous experience in retail and grocery stores, he was currently unemployed and struggling to find work. In addition, Julius had been diagnosed with Schizophrenia. To support him in his job search […]

Robert Borroto, Peer Advocacy Leadership Program

Robert Borroto, a Hispanic Bronx resident in his sixties, came to Goodwill seeking help to find supportive shared housing in 2022. Robert, who has been diagnosed with major depressive disorder and psychophysiological insomnia, has not worked for the past 7-8 years and has lived with his mother during this period. Robert had never slept in […]