Giving Them a Hand, Liao Helped the Homeless Get Back on Track

The amazing work of a social worker from this foundation, helping the homeless population, and educating the members of the public, to be more tolerant, more accepting to those who aren’t, with as much resources, off of the Newspapers, translated…

The Homeless Taiwan Association’s female social worker, Liao, started working to help rehome the homeless population four years ago, she believes, that, everyone can be hit by the hard times; hoping to catch those who are in need in time, wanting to assist the homeless persons to break the vicious cycles of ending up on the streets, and also educating the public about the various faces of poverty, giving the help to the homeless, and help them find a better place in society.

Liao said, that her social work studies in the college years didn’t have a specialized department teaching her how to assist the homeless, after she’d graduated, she’d started working at the Samaritan Female Care Association of Taichung, and started getting involved in helping the female homeless population locally.  She’d worked with a moderately mentally decapacitated twenty-three-year-old woman who was homeless with her father, lived on the streets, then got placed in the shelters, and found work at a work center, it’d left a deep impression with her.

the social worker, teaching someone who’s homeless how to use a SmartPhone, photo courtesy of UDN.com

Homeless is a condition, NOT an identity, it can, happen to, anybody, from the societal level, it may be the pandemic, the financial crises, the changing in formation of the industries, which caused the middle age and older adults to become unemployed, and due to their age, their low levels of education, without a viable skill, they can easily turn to the streets; and there’s the other, personal factors, maybe due to illness, the lack of functioning in the homes, or the death of the parents, at age twenty, couldn’t find a viable way to make a living, no governmental, no external support, and in the end, ending up, on the, streets.

Liao said, assisting the homeless, other than helping them return back to society, she’d also wanted people to understand their predicaments, the foundation has the rehoming services, the medical, the employment assistance, and legal counseling, etc., etc., etc., and now, there’s the, “Scented Bathhouse” program, to allow the homeless to take a shower comfortably.

It’s not always easy, offering services to the homeless, Liao also felt defeated, if there were only, two, three successful cases, but the rest all fall back into the homeless state of, being, sometimes, when the organization give out the resources in the nights, for instance, if they’d started eating the meals as they received, this may be the individuals’ first meal, and sometimes, the passersby would start cussing them out, and believed, that it’s because the homeless are not working hard enough for their lives, that’s why they ended up, homeless.

Liao said, every generation is troubled by different things, seeing the struggles of the homeless population at the bottom of society, she hoped that everybody can live on with ease, it’s just, that there are different values, and different ways people make their own lives, matter, that the homeless aren’t at all, good for nothings, if everybody can try and understand that there are others who are different than s/he is, and be accepting to one another, then, this world will be a better place for all.

And so, this is the amazing work of this social worker, she’d helped those who are homeless for whatever reasons to get back on their own two feet, and she’s now, trying to help those in the society understand, that there’s more to the homeless population, than the fact, that they’re, wandering the streets, that they all have their, stories to share.

The Juliet Who Walked into, That, River

The memories, of how you’d, saved a student from committing suicide, of how she’d, thanked you, by sending you that, package to let you know, that she is now, okay…translated…

On the eve of Confucius’s birthday, I’d recalled something that’s, happened from the past.

I’m a psychiatrist in practice, and worked with the Department of Education, the school instructors, made the lectures of suicide preventing to the instructors in the elementary and middle school levels.  One evening a little more than a decade ago, I’d gone to a middle school by the river in the south of the city to visit.  Recalled that that evening, the seminar held in the evenings was very, welcoming, in the time, I’d had the seventy to eighty instructors in the audience to split themselves into groups of three, sharing within the groups, their encounters of their students’ having mutilated themselves, or suicide attempts, or having lost a student to suicide.

During the break, an experienced female instructor came and told me a story.  This almost retired Chinese instructor told me, that she had taught a girl.  To help her students feel motivated in learning, she’d assigned the play of “Romeo & Juliet” in her Chinese language courses, for the students to fight for the roles that they wanted to play.  As it came time to select the Juliet, normally, it would be the prettiest girl in the class who raised up her hand, but it wasn’t.

Although, she was, hesitant, she’d still, let the girl play the role, as that female student had, wished to play the role of, Juliet.

As the play successfully got finished, this event, got lost, in the busyness of the semester, didn’t leave a single, ripple, it seemed.  What caused the waves, was that winter, on a day too cold.  One day after class, this girl whom nobody noticed, walked out of the school.  Nobody paid any attention, that she’d, walked over the embankment, and, into, the, river.

And maybe, it was, how cold it was on the day.  Or maybe, it’s the person who’d wanted to commit suicide being, hesitant (The to be or not to be), this adolescent finally, made her way, back up the shores, entered back into the school, and, the school officials found her completely wet (maybe, frozen too!).  The thrilled instructors ushered her to the principal’s office, not known what they should, say to her.

illustration from UDN.com

This Chinese instructor recalled, as she was called to the principal’s office, she’d, learned that this young girl had, attempted suicide.  “I wasn’t her homeroom instructor, had no idea of her background, and her situation.  But this kid told the principal, that she wanted, to, see me.”  And yet, being young, the instructor felt anxious then, not known how to counsel a student who’d, just, almost entered into the gates of, hell.

The moment the instructor was forced to walk into the principal’s office, she’d had a thought, pretended that she’d not know what had just happened, as she saw the child, with the fallen leaves stuck on her waist and areas below, she’d, rushed up to her, exclaimed, “My Juliet!  What happened to you?”, and hugged the girl, really tight.

Time flew quickly, as the graduating class graduated, life fast-forwarded close to a full decade’s time.  She’d also, forgotten about this, particular, student, until one day, in school, she’d received a package from that young woman.

Inside it, what would, she find?

She was surprised, and, uneasy, slowly, opening up the package.  There were, the copies of pages of paper.  It was from the girl’s middle school, technical high school, community college, the certifications she’d earned, the awards certificates, and the diplomas.

That evening, in the middle school south of down, that instructor slowly told of the story of then, and hoped, that in the future, in my suicide prevention seminars, she could, share the story she’d, told me.  The instructor looked very, peaceful, but I was, really moved inside.

Actually, in the hundreds of seminars for the past decade or so, I’d not mentioned this story often.  Or maybe, I have, yet to get over the shock it’d, left me, as I’d told this story to the audience, everything stopped whispering, and there was NO sound, and I saw some instructors, secretly, wiping away their, tears.

Confucius birthday comes every year, but I keep on thinking, what, better gift there was, than this, package, on this, day, to celebrate, the teachers?

And so, this is, the huge difference that, a school teacher’s care toward a student can have on the student’s life, this instructor’s hug of the student, helped her turn her own life around, and it’d helped her gain the strengths to keep on going in her life, and the student gave the best present back to the instructor who’d helped her, by sending the package of all of her, important milestone markers, to let the instructor know, that she’s, okay now.

The Extravagant Mottos Don’t Get the People Out of the Hardships of Their, Everyday Living

How the DDP that’s currently running this country is still, BULLSHITTING, WE the people here, feeding us lies, neglecting those who are, really, in need of help, of getting back on their feet again, off of the Front Page Sections, translated…

Awhile back, as the president and the VP went to promote the candidate of the mayor of Keelung, a middle aged man who claimed that “life is getting hard” flashed a knife and started cutting himself.  This seemingly isolated incident, actually reflected how the bottom half of the socioeconomic are currently stuck deep in the mud and the muck, how they’re having it too hard, making their ends, meet.

Before the money of the travel reimbursements are about to get used up completely, I’d taken that last train to Taichung.  As I’d walked into the Taipei Main Station, I’d had to pass the group of homeless who are camped there; exiting the Taichung Train Station, what greeted me was also, a group of the local homeless, with the skies as their roof, they’re, way too far away, from traveling for leisure, they would NOT be fighting us for this huge piece of the pie, and it’d made me, who’s, getting reimbursements from the government for the trips feel, a bit, ashamed.

I was tired in the early evenings, found a bench in a local park to sit and rest, then, a middle age man came over to chat.  The man told he was from Taidong, that he’d worked any jobs available to him in Taichung, because someone was ill back home and needed the money for treatment, he’d sent most of what he’d made back home.  Being older, can’t find stable work, he’d slept in the park, and when he felt hungry, he’d ridden the bicycles to ten, twenty kilometers away to find food in the free food fridge that’s been set up.

I’d originally thought, he’d wanted some money from him to help him out, but instead, he just, wanted someone to talk to.  Being half-homeless, everybody in the park would evade him, the spirits are afraid of the poor, nobody wants to be bothered with him, he was, forced to, become, silenced.  Turns out, the aloofness of the outside world was way harder for him to bear than the hunger.

I’d asked him: I think the companies are hiring all around, if you’d worked every day, you wouldn’t be staying in the parks!  He’d told, how he was not young anymore, without any specific skills, that he’d had to get interviewed, trying to find work at the construction sites.

I’d joked and asked him, “did the scam group ask you to go to Cambodia from before?”, he’d laughed bitterly, told me, “they only want the younger generations.  The middle aged like me, the scam artists don’t even want, you can see, how hard it is, for the middle aged to return back to the workforce now, right?

A lot of middle aged, and elderly can only pick up the recycling materials and sell them, and yet, inflation is hitting hard, even after a whole day’s worth of collecting the recyclable materials, you may still not have enough for the three meals.  In fact, inflation is a global problem, and what made the people upset, is how someone kept on, reiterating, you’re living in an era of economical growth, like you’re in heaven.  But in actually, you feel like you’re living in a dog-eat-dog world.

And, this difference between the realities and what the government perceived, is where the problem rests.

The pandemic caused a lot to lose their jobs, the middle aged, due to their age, their specific skill sets, found it hard to find work again.  Last year at the Kaohsiung Train Station, I’d met a middle aged man who’d sold the “Big Times Magazine”.  This is a magazine, set up to help those who are in need, for every copy sold, the vendor gets fifty-percent of the amount, and every time I see these being sold, I’d always, purchased a copy.  That middle aged man stood in the scorching heat of the midday sun, worked hard, to sell the volumes, but, nobody paid him any attention, I’d asked him: there’s a beggar beside you in the shades, all he did was place that bowl in front of him, don’t you feel tried?

He’d told me: if I were to sit down, it would be, impossible for me, to get back up again.

I admit, that there are the more passive homeless, and there are also, the proactive, the hardworking ones, like the middle age man, shouldn’t the government lend them a helping hand, before they sat down, for good?

There’s this serious lacking of manpower in Taiwan, the retired population will make up the workers in the futures, they only needed some guidance, some help from the government, to counsel them, to help them gain a viable skill through job training, and if the government set up the help stations, then, it would help those who are still wanting to work to return back to work, to reduce a lot of the problems in the society, those with a stage they can put their skills to use on, will be healthier, which will reduce the cost of healthcare.

I suggest, that the government stop boasting the unrealistic beliefs, and, buckle down on actually helping those who are in need, as those mottos will only, separate the people, and the ones in power.

And yet, instead of giving the more practical sort of help (i.e. job training, etc., etc., etc.), the government’s giving out “free money”, attempting to fool the people with the spending vouchers, the free-for-all, reimbursement travel vouchers, etc., etc., etc., and all of these are our taxpayers’ money that the government’s, squandering away, and to think how much the amount that they’re now, wasting away can help those who are in need, if the amount was put to better use, like providing the job training for the homeless, but the government doesn’t do that at all!

Reduced Me to, Nothing…

This was, what you did, reduced me to, nothing, and I’d, allowed you to!

Reduced me to, nothing, I’m partially to blame I guess, for loving you too much, allowing you to walk all over me, to use me, to abuse me, to cast me aside, because that was, how I’d, built my own, self-worth, self-value on…

Reduced me to, nothing, and it’d felt, awful, being, nothing.  I was, on the receiving end too god damn long, not realized, that I was a human, with all the rights endowed to me from birth on out.

what that, “love” of yours, looked, like…

a deep, dark hole that, consumed me! Image from online

Reduced me to, nothing, I’d, started, building myself back up, from nothing, and, brick by brick, I’d, built this, prison out of, my self.  Reduced me to, nothing, I now realized, that I am, something, something MORE than what you give me credit for, what you’d, built me up to be!

I am, someone, someone that’s, very important, maybe not to anybody else out there, but to my own, self, and that’s, more than enough.

Now, my turn, to REDUCE you, down to, diddily squat, and see how you like being, nothing, to someone like me!

So, how does IT feel, huh?

With the Help of Connection of a Local Bagel Shop, the Children Out of Broken Homes Found Employment, to Start Their Lives, on a Brand New Page

Finally, some, good news, the good will of the people who’d, set up this shop, with the wills to help those who lost their support from their own families, a social enterprise, off of the Newspapers, translated…

The bagel shop “Good Trees Better Fruits” in Pingzhen, Taoyuan, the founders, the married couple Huang and Chen, through the bagels that they sold, they’d connected with the younger generations of fragile families, hoping their cares and concerns can make them feel more encouraged and loved, to help them find a way to show off their values of life; all the workers, the manager, the pastry chef of the shop are all under age thirty, they’d turned the shop into their home away from home, and found their point to begin again in their own separate, lives.

The bagels of the shop were on display, from the selecting of the ingredients, the kneading of the dough, the fermenting of the dough, the baking, the setting the dough to better appearances, every step to make the bagels are thoroughly thought and planned out.

the founder on the left, Chen, with the store manager, Huang, photo courtesy of UDN.com

Huang’s belief was using the bagels, to turn the stories of life of his team of employees, into the blessing for someone else.  And now, the couple not only owned and operated the bagel shop, they’d also started up a foundation, “The Tree of Life Leadership Organization of Taoyuan”, to help the younger generations to start up their own businesses, to help them get employment.

Recalling how back in 2019, they’d started from the tiny warehouse space as a shop, Chen recalled, how they’d lacked the funding, no connections, let alone, a shopfront, and every day, he’d worried of not getting what he’d made sold completely; thankfully due to the online business means, along with how the reputation of the shop is being set up, they’d gone against the flow, and made their business a success.

The store manager, Huang, due to problems in his family was forced to separate from his own parents, and at his worst, he’d not had enough money to pay for his rent, his utilities, and bought the nearing expiration date items as food.  Another young store manager, Lai, her parents were addicts, in and out of prison a lot, with nobody she could rely on after her grandmother passed away.  There were also the baker who’d served five years in prison due to gang relations, the mother of three who’d lacked the self-confidence, the baker who’d started on his own since before age twenty, they’d all found their brand new start in life at “Good Trees, Better Fruits”.

And so, this is the heart of this young couple, who saw a need of the younger generations, and gave them a place to work, to use their own abilities to make a living for themselves, and this shop offered its employees a brand new start on life, gave them another chance to begin anew in their own separate lives.

This is a good shop, with the beliefs of operations in helping others find their way!

Saving His Old Friend from Dying of Internal Bleeding, the Man with an Outstanding Arrest Warrant Called the Cops

This man, found his own friend’s life more important than his own active arrest warrant, and made the right judgment call, how this is a step toward the right direction in this man’s life, off of the Front Page Sections, translated…

A man, Pan from Kaohsiung awhile ago, went with his friend, Chang to the mountains to pick the herbs used in traditional Chinese medicine, and on the third day, Chang felt sick, and started defecating blood; Pan was worried that his friend might die in the mountains, risked his identity of being a criminal with an active arrest warrant on him being found out, went down the mountains, and reported his friend’s conditions to the police, then, led the police and the fire department up the mountains to save his own friend’s life.  As he was taken into custody, he’d stated, “Even though now I’m arrested for my drug charges, but at least, I still have my conscience intact.”

The sixty-four year-old Pan had been friends with Chang for thirty, forty years, the two went to the Five Creeks Mountain regions of Taoyuan District in Kaohsiung to pick the Chinese herbal medicines on the twenty-sixth of this month.  At around noon of the twenty-eighth, Chang suddenly fell ill, and started defecating blood, although he’d not ruled it out as his stomach bleeding, but, worried, that if he didn’t get sent to the hospitals, he may be in life-threatening danger, and that was when Pan decided to go down the mountains to get him the help he needed.

Pan had an active arrest warrant on illegal substances on him at the beginning of March, he knew, that if he’d rushed to the substations to call for help for his friend, and filled out the forms, his status of being a criminal might get found out, but, as he’d arrived to the Meishan Substation to report, he’d still used his real identity, and the local police immediately found, that he had an active arrest warrant signed by the Chiaotou D.A.’s Office.  Pan told the officers, that his friend’s life is in danger that he wasn’t going to run.

The police then contacted the local fire department, the Yushan National Park management, the Seventh local safety squad, and the officials set up a search and rescue team, and Pan led them to his friend, and they were able to find Chang on the twenty-ninth, and lifted him off the mountains, got him the help he needed, he is in the hospital for an extended stay.

And so, this man realized, that his friend’s life was more important than the fact that he had an active arrest warrant, that’s why he’d gone to the police station, to get help for his friend who’d fallen ill in the mountains, and his risking getting caught (which he was!), was what saved his friend, and, that counts for something, and I’m sure, that after he served his time, he will, turn over that new leaf, and leave his criminal pasts behind him for good.

Rebirthed from Prison, Patched Up the Love, a Treasure Map of Memories

Repeated in that vicious cycle of his own misbehaviors, led him down this path of, no return, and now finally, as he sits in his cell, he’d, realized what he’d done, and what he can do, to turn his own life, around, translated…

For Most, This is a Hopeless Sort of Life……………

My rebirth from the flames, started from owing two hundred million dollars, the ability to introspect, to admit to what I’d done was wrong, was from my twelve years’ sentence in prison.  For most, this is a life without the chances, but to me, it’s, a brand new, beautiful, beginning, because, I’m now able to use my mindset of learning for life, to, turn the bottom half of my own life, around.

Walking on That, Right Path, Finally

Back when I was too young to know any better, I’d thought, that putting my fist out to help a friend, is the true meaning of giving them the support they were looking for, and yet, what I got were, the conflicts of the fights I’d gotten in, at age twenty, I’d, faced my very first, prison sentence, being taken into, custody.  Everybody told, that the longer you get locked up in prison, the more badass you’d, become, that it’s the path, of becoming a gangster, so, the very first time I got stuck in a cage, I just wanted to, make more friends, to expand my connections.  And surely, I’d not changed a bit after I’d made bail, and, I’d, hit the walls, soon enough, and only, stayed out of prison, for one short, year’s time.

The second time I got taken into custody, I’d met a white collar criminal, the worst step I’d, ever taken, and became, a con artist, got on that path of, no return.  The second time I’d made bail, I went into business with a friend, and, wrote the scripts, used the cons, to get my very first bucket of gold in life, ever since, I’d, gotten lost in the nightlife, took up the habits of gambling, and, started, squandering everything away to soon, which was a proof of, traveling down the wrong road, it’ll, catch up to you eventually.

illustration from UDN.com

By age twenty-five, I’d faced my third, two years’ worth of prison sentence, being righteous toward my friends, I’d, taken all the blames, and in return, all my friends, they’d, deserted me.  My wife went into labor when I was held in custody, and she was too distressed and had postpartum depression, and in the end, my only source of strength was my parents’ never giving up on me, which was, the start of, me, waking up, and turning my life, around.  I’d started, making friends with books, started getting into the habits of reading, to change my own heart, and understood the meanings of, “helping others” and the meanings of “helping another is helping ourselves”.  My own experiences made me reached out to my fellow inmates, hoping they don’t travel down this same wrong path I had, to improve themselves, for those around them.

The two years’ prison terms, I’d, come to understand, that the justice system is maxed out in giving me my second chances, that every time I returned back to the society, I’d, strayed, farther from I did before, that I may not have the opportunity to get out, on good behaviors again; and, maybe, it’s going to take me more years to finally appreciate being able to feel the love from my parents, to find the blessings of sharing a meal with my wife and children.  And yet, in my time of serving prison, I was, blessed by heavens above, as I was told, that I was allowed to make bail a third time, I’d sworn, that in the time I’m serving, I shall, stay away from the bad, and, start walking out, a better path of life for myself.

The Encouragements to Myself, “It Takes Ten Years to Make a Perfectly Sharpened Sword”

After I’d made bail, I’d, still, gathered with those friends, but without, the bad influences, sharing only the ideals, and I’d, come to understand, how those friends’ not, deserting me was, too precious to, come by.  As my case was still pending, I’d discussed with a friend on the future direction of my own life, “We’ll try it with you.”  with their supports I’d, become, an entrepreneur.  And, as I got totally immersed in what I was doing, I fell, in love, and in the process, I’d come to understand the meaning of “there’s a house of gold in every book”, the books I’d read in prison became quite useful in business, I’d started up from the fundamentals, and because of how my partners and I were on the same page, in only three short years, we’d, made a “good grade”.  I’m more than grateful to my friends’ trusts in me, from the team of five originally, squatted inside that compressed, tiny office, and now, we’d, expanded to more than thirty employees.

During the time of our startup, I’d worked in the merchandising department, and, used the knowledge I’d read up on in the books from prison, to lower the costs and to barter with the providers, but, being a con artist myself, I got, conned, and, I’d originally wanted to, shoulder the money I’d lost for the firm, but, my partners denied my request to, and said, that the company will pay up the total.  And in the end, the providers were touched by my story of turning my own life around, and, refunded the amount we’d lost back to us.

We all eventually, pay for our own, mistakes.  My trial dragged out for three full years, as I’d gotten that serving sentence to prison, I’d felt upset, but I’d not, gone back on that promise I’d made three years ago when I’d made bail then, and my families saw how hard I’d, tried to work to turn my life around too.

And to this very day, whenever I get anxious, upset, or agitated, I’d still told myself, “it takes ten years to sharpen that sword”, we needed to trim the rough edges of our own character off, to better our own, abilities too, and I’d understood the true meaning of “only when you change for the better, the meanings of you becoming a man showed.”

still serving his time…

repenting for what he did…photo from online

I am, a textbook example, although I’d still caused myself to get stuck, but I hope, that the life experiences of this decade of life from my twenties to my thirties, can help light the way for all those who are currently lost at the crossroads of their own, lives.

And so, this is the man’s, tracing the wrong steps he’d taken in his own life thus far, and as he’s serving his current prison term (hopefully his very last one!), he’d, realized the wrong steps he’d taken thus far, and, decided to make the changes, to make sure he doesn’t, go down the wrong roads in his own life again, and hopefully, that will to change in him, will be enough, to keep him from straying again.

The Pastor Opened Up a Farm, to Teach the Inmates to Plant the Produce So They Have a Viable Way to Make a Living After Their Release

A preacher, with the work of God, in helping to reform the inmates who are released, giving them a set of viable skills that they can make a living off, so they are less than likely, to return back to their former ways of life, a life of crimes, off of the Newspapers, translated…

The pastor from the Ming-Der Rehabilitation Center of Tainan Penitentiary System Hu was once a successful businessman, after his failed ventures in business, after he hit her all-time low in he life, she went into the seminary school, and started spreading the gospels to the inmates in prison, saw a lot of how the drug addicts failed in getting cleaned up, she’d set up the “Yong-Hsin Home Happy Farms”, to help the reformed inmates have a viable way to make a living, he’d stayed at the far all day long with the released inmates, from the beginning of the program, there’d only been one individual and now there’s, ten, the Yong-Hsin Home Happy Farms became a halfway house for the released drug addicts, where they get to set up their own means to make a living for the rest of their lives.

Hu had the ups and downs in working in business, due to owing too much in debts in his business ventures, he’d lost support from his own families, became severely depressed, originally wanted to commit suicide to end his own life, he was, saved, and, made a miraculous complete recovery, he’d believed, that God saved him for a reason, and gained a whole new lease on life, in his family’s encouragement, he went into seminary school, and started spreading the gospels in prison regularly.

the photo of the man, setting up a halfway house for the released prisoners, off of UDN.com

He’d preached to the Ming-Der Rehabilitation Center of Tainan for over a year, and stayed with the addicts, and understood why many of the cases why they’d failed, primarily due to how after the inmates releases, they’d wanted to return back to the society, but lacked the environment that served as a middle ground.

He’d selected a farm as a halfway house for the reformed, released convicts, and stayed with these released inmates twenty-four seven at his farm.  He said, that the halfway house acts to help an unsteady sapling, with the four sticks on four sides, the ropes, steadying the young sapling, to have it set its roots down in the stable environment, then, it can grow on its own to become, stronger.

Hu told, that the primary produces of the farm were mangoes, vegetables, and all of the released inmates at the beginning told him that they couldn’t plant it, and now, they’re, sweating along, growing the foods that they’re consuming, he bore witness to how the reformed inmates are, getting their lives back on the right tracks step by step.

Hu Supervised the Released Inmates to Get Certified.

It was three years ago when Hu started up the Yong-Hsin Home Happy Farms, recently, he’d set up the “Take Me Home Workshop” in Yongkang, Tainan, selling the handmade buns with feelings, the traditional Chinese buns, and dumplings made by the inmates who’d been released from prison, helping those addicts who are trying to stay clean to have a stable sources of income, and the skills, to start off a business of their own.

“Guo”, who’d been successful in getting cleaned, had perfect skills in making the dumplings, he’d only worked odds and ends from before, thought that he couldn’t be successful, after a little over a year’s training and learning, he’d become, a certified professional.

Another released inmate, Yang already, passed his level C certification in baking, at first he’d told, “certification for me?  Not possible!”, Hu asked the instructors to train him in his baking skills, and, forced him to take the skills certifications exams, “the pressure had been, enormous, but, in his pushing me, I actually, passed, I’m, encouraged by the man completely.”

And so, this is the wonderful thing this man is doing, for the released inmates, because they lacked the skills, and had been in prison for, many years, they are normally, detached from the rest of the outside world, and, this workshop served as a halfway place, a transitional place for these reformed, released inmates to acquire a skill that they can live off, to help them better support themselves, so there would be less of a chance, they’re to, return back to their former lives of crimes.

The Drug-Dealer Turned into a Program Against Addiction Hero, Started His Business to Help Those Who had Been Released from Prison

How this dealer turned his own life around, and is now, helping others who are like him when he was younger, using his example as a what-not-to-do of sorts for the younger generations of offenders, off of the Newspapers translated…

The assistance of C.E.O. of the Fujiang Human Resources Agency, Jiang from Hsinchu had a long juvenile history, stolen cars, gotten addicted to drugs, sold the substances illegally, went in and out of prison a total of six times, imprisoned for a total of seventeen years; his daughter didn’t understand why he did what he did, his families treated him as stranger, after he was out on parole, he’d, changed his ways, turned over a new leaf.  He was grateful for his prison cell mate, Liao who’d given him a hand in changing his own ways, and now, as an assistant C.E.O., he’d hired a lot of those who were released from prison, hoping that he can give someone else a helping hand that s/he needed in life.

傷疤刻劃不懂事的年少 洗心革面拉更生人一把 – YouTube

the interview of the man, talking of his youth and inexperience that’s gotten him into a life of crimes, and yes, the link works!

In middle school, Jiang was taken into juvenile detention for stealing cars, and he’d later dropped out of school and gotten involved in gang activities, and as he’d started working as a singing companion in the karaoke bars, he’d gotten into drugs, and because he has a complex social circle, he’d gotten addicted.  After he was out of the armed services, he was desperate to make the money quickly, and started trafficking drugs, and gotten involved in printing the counterfeit bills too, involved in arms, in and out of prison six time total, and spent a total of seventeen years in prison.

“When I got taken away, my daughter was only two years old………” Jiang recalled those final ten years of his life of losing his freedom, he told, back then, his daughter was estranged from him, and couldn’t understand why he did what he’d done, he’d contemplated on his own life in the future, and decided to change, to help his families find back the faith they’d lost in him.

As he got out on parole, Jiang started working as a construction worker, hauled the cement to provide for is family, and because he overworked himself, he had a fracture, but to make sure his families had enough, he can only keep going, but, it’d, caused a long-term complication on his fractured hand.  His prison cell mate Liao saw that he couldn’t keep making a living like this, and, pulled him along in his business, and his life became, more stable.

Jiang who’d been put into prison for drug trafficking had already, slowly, let go of that awful part of his own past, and, started getting involved in the not-for-profit organizations to volunteer, and he would deliver the meals to the elderly who live alone in Hsinchu, and also works as the lecture of Anti-Drug Abuse of the county of Hsinchu, everybody who knew him called him an anti-drug abuse hero, but what he’d hoped more is, that what happened on him, don’t get experienced by the younger generation of children, and hoped that his hard work can help the society feel more love and compassion too.

Jiang Called Out to the Released Inmates: Don’t Give Up on Yourselves

“The trials I’d faced after my release, was no easier than when I’d entered into prison, and if my families lacked the understanding of my situation, I may easily gone back, and get sent back to prison again”, Jiang told, that after the release, the inmates are faced with the problems of livelihood, a place to stay, and having food, he’d once gone to a job interview for a security guard and got shot back, for the sole reason of him with a previous prison record; he wanted to tell those who are just released, “So long as you are willing to work hard, to not give yourselves any spare time, then, you will, find a brand new way of life.”

Jiang had watched many of his fellow inmates who couldn’t adapt to the world outside and returned back to prison again, he said, other than the environments, the choices of how you want to live your life, the support of the families will be the key determinant of whether or not you can, begin again, the will and faith of the released inmates are the most important.  A year after he was released, he was baptized, with Christianity as his faith, with the support of his friends from church, he’d gone to the services, the activities regularly, and gotten away from all those bad influences in his own past who can affect him in a bad way, “The support of the church really did help me a lot!”

Jiang reminded his fellow released inmates, to NOT give up on themselves just because others may have given up on them, like how the protection organizations for released inmates are silent supporting the released, reformed inmates to return back to society, to NEVER give up hope.

And so, this, is how this man was able to, turn over a new leaf in life, he’d had a bad track record, and decided to turn his own life around, for the sake of his families, and his families became a motivation, for him, to NOT return to his old ways, and having the families as support is very important for these prisoners, because, if your families can’t even accept you, then, how can the rest of the outside world, but unfortunately, not all families of the inmates are, as understanding as this man’s families turned out to be, and he’d had to, prove it to them, that he wasn’t, going back down that same road from before.

The Man on Parole Had Gotten Intoxicated Behind the Wheels, the Judge Gave Him a Free Pass Seeing How He Was Taking Care of His Own Older Brother & Raising His Own Grandson

Leniency for drunk-driving, because of his conditions, the LAW does, have a heart after all!!!  Off of the Front Page Sections, translated…

The parolee on drugs, Liu was caught riding out on his scooter intoxicated, sentenced to two months; he’d appealed, the judge thought he had a job, took care of his older brother with polio, and helped raised his own two grandsons, that after his release on drug charges, he’d not committed any serious offenses, considered the terms of parole, “gave him a free pass”, based off of penal code number 61, case closed.

The verdict pointed out, last year in the late evening of September 26^th, after Liu consumed two cans of beer, rode his scooter home, was stopped by the police, his breathalyzer test showed 0.38, was charged for public endangerment.  The D.A. asked for a simplified verdict, the first trial gave him two months, which he could pay the fines and not served the time.  Because Liu was a parolee on drugs, he’d feared that his parole might be taken away, that he may get sent back into prison again, and appealed to overturn the verdict.

In the second trial, Liu showed great remorse for drunk driving, hoped the judge could give him another chance, that he shall, NEVER do anything criminal again; he said that as he was paroled, he’d found a proper job, reported to the officer regularly, made $25,000N.T. per month, and the money goes to pay for his older brother who’s in a nursing home because of polio, and he also took care of his two grandchildren, and if he gets sent back into prison, then, there will be nobody taking care of his kin.

Liu’s daughter also testified on his behalf, that as he paroled out he’d worked as a plumber/electrician, they were close; she has two children, her husband, unemployed, her father worried about them not having enough, and would give her the money to help out, and would watch her kids for her too from time to time.

And so, this man was trying to set his life straight after he served his time, and, this time he had a bit too much to drink, and got caught, violated his terms of parole, and feared that he was going to get sent back into prison, and his families will not be taken care of, that’s why he’d appealed, and the judge took into considerations how he was setting his life straight after his release, and gave him a free pass.