Helping Clients Find Their Way H.O.M.E.
Shelly Fernandez is getting a second chance. A second chance to get her life on track. A second chance to become a productive member of her community and a second chance to raise her two children. Shelly was placed in a special program called H.O.M.E. The program provided her with the much-needed safety and security she was longing for. It also provided her with housing, food, and employment opportunities. After 10 months, Shelly is a new person. She is gainfully employed, she has proper childcare for her children, and most importantly she has a place to call home. And if you ask Shelly, she attributes all these things to one person…Shanette Mitchell.
Ten months ago, Shanette never
knew Shelly or her children. Shanette
never knew anything about Shelly’s past.
But today, they are good friends.
Shelly goes so far as to describe Shanette as not only a godsend but
more importantly, someone whom she aspires to be.
She says, because of
Shanette, she not only has her children, but has the confidence and positive
outlook to know that she will be able to provide a strong future for them. Something that she would not have believed 10
months ago.
If you do not know Shanette Mitchell,
she is one of the hardest working, caring, selfless people you will ever meet. And on top of that YES, she is a bail bond agent. Raised in Pasadena, California before moving
to San Antonio, Shanette Mitchell grew up one of 22 siblings (yes, 22…that is
not a typo). To say that this large
family did not make her a warm loving individual would be an absolute
understatement.
She graduated high school in 1995 and went to college to study criminal justice and child development. She got married in 1999. Unfortunately, her father passed away that same year, and she put her full-time studies aside to help run her father’s bail business. She continued to take courses over the years while raising 4 children of her own and running the bail business, but that still was not enough for Shanette. During this time, she also became a licensed minister, operated a child-care business, and did telemarketing on the side. She quickly became a modern-day renaissance women and serial entrepreneur; both qualities, you never hear the opponents of the bail industry ever use to describe a bail agent, yet here they are. In 2012, Shanette’s husband died suddenly from a brain aneurysm. But being the strong, driven woman that she is, Shanette continued to work hard and persevere.
About 5 years ago, Shanette started noticing that many of her bail bond customers were continuing to come back to her for her services. Shanette saw a need. She saw a group of people who were not able to successfully navigate through the criminal justice system and society in general. She saw a group of people who needed someone to listen and to give them the opportunity to get their lives back on track. Shanette saw all these things and most importantly she saw herself as the solution.
In 2015 she created the H.O.M.E.
Intervention Program. This program was designed to specifically address the
issues facing her customers. Issues that
when addressed, would most likely and hopefully kill Shanette’s repeat
business. But she was willing to take
that risk. The HOME acronym describes
what here program is all about. It is
defined as follows:
Housing
Occupation
Mentoring
Education
The first area is Housing. She purchased and currently operates a
6-bedroom house that provides a safe place to live for at risk women and women
with children. The home also provides
services and resources to help them get back on their feet.
The second area is Occupation. Having a job is one of the most important
things to helping people create self-worth and become active and positive
contributors to society. She identifies
and partners with companies that are willing to hire individuals with criminal
records. A true second chance program.
The third area is Mentoring.
She has set up a program called Mentoring Big Brothers, to help 18-25 year-old
young men develop healthy and productive relationships with older men in both
group and individual settings. When
these young men have someone to identify with as a positive role model, the
impact it can have on them is tremendous.
The last area is Education. Many of the individuals that Shanette bails
out of jail have court ordered educational conditions associated with their
release. Shanette has developed a
diverse education program to help these people meet these specific
requirements. The courses her program
offers, includes courses addressing Anger Management, Shoplifting/Theft, DWI,
Drug/Substance abuse and Cognitive learning.
Over the years, Shanette has
helped numerous people get the help and assistance they need. Shelly is just one of the many people and
lives that Shanette has impacted. The
big question is why does she do it? To-date,
most of the organization’s efforts have been self-funded. Maybe she does it for the notoriety? No. Shanette is just one of the
most selfless people you will ever meet. In
fact, she was very hesitant to even allow us to tell her story.
Shanette is truly a good
person. She truly understands the
concept of community and giving back to those in need. Part of her helping
involves being a bail agent. She does
all of this without fanfare, proper recognition and without a media team.
Shanette Mitchell is just one
example of the men and women in the bail bond industry who work tirelessly to
get their clients to court, to educate them on what they can expect so that
they do not get scared and run and to encourage them to strive to be better
citizens of our human community.
The next time you are walking down the street and see a bail
agent’s office. Do not be so quick to
judge or believe the stereotypes.
Because you never know…the owner of that bail business, just might be
one of the most giving, charitable, and respected people in their
community…just like Shanette.
January 2, 2020- "Building Trust and Helping to Protect the Public" CLICK HERE.
April 2, 2020- "Bo Jones No Turkey Here" CLICK HERE.
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