Rasheid is driven to help people, especially those he sees himself in: Young Black men who grew up with gun violence at their doorstep. 

Many of Rasheid’s mentees faced a reality similar to his: He never learned about finances, he lost friends to gun violence, and he was incarcerated in his early 20’s.

The Philadelphian also knows first-hand how hard it is to land a job with a criminal record following every opportunity.

“I was hired and let go a few times,” Rasheid said. “Since I came home [from prison], I’ve been mentally stronger, so I never thought about going back to criminal activities.”

“But it was discouraging,” he went on. “I’m trying so hard, I’ve changed so much, but they don’t see it. You’re just hoping for one shot.”

That shot came through a few avenues: Pushing Progress Philly, a city-funded intervention program that launched last year to support at-risk Philadelphians, hired him as a job coach and mentor at their CareerLink Germantown location. Rasheid offers the kind of guidance he didn’t have when he was younger, along a path that moves participants through cognitive therapy and career development so they can gain employment while healing from the lifelong reverberations of gun violence. 

Before he started working at P3, Rasheid met his Clarifi counselor, Stacey Crawford, at the same CareerLink office as a client. Through a partnership with Philadelphia Works, Clarifi offers free financial counseling to anyone who walks into CareerLink, so people can better manage their money while they explore job opportunities and trainings.

“Rasheid came in with a determination,” Stacey said. “He sacrificed, he stayed humble, and he was eager to learn.”

Before Clarifi, Rasheid said he made financial decisions “out of ignorance” because he didn’t have the right knowledge.

“My credit was really, really bad,” he said. “I know if I would have met Miss Stacey [before], I would have made better decisions.”

Through Clarifi’s certified financial counseling, Rasheid learned how to manage his money—lessons he didn’t have growing up. Stacey broke down the basics of budgeting and saving with him: How much are you spending on monthly bills, on groceries, clothing, gas? She also connected him to Clarifi’s re-entry program, which disburses $1,000 grants to justice-impacted individuals who complete two financial health appointments. He put that money toward his savings and paying down debt.  

Over the months he worked with Stacey, Rasheid saw his credit score rise. He opened a secure bank account and paid down his debt. And with more financial security, he opened himself to new possibilities, like planning to start his own nonprofit program and save for homeownership.

“The sky’s the limit for me,” he said. “I don’t see me stopping.” 

Some of the young men Rasheid serves through P3 have never held down a full-time job. They also lack a secure bank account and the knowledge needed to budget and save. He encourages his P3 mentees to sign up for counseling sessions at Clarifi so they can gain the same financial knowledge that now empowers him to budget and save for his future. 

Rasheid is determined to become a homeowner. It was something he’d often dreamed about with his mother, who died while he was in prison. After he got out, he thought his criminal record would impede on that dream. He no longer holds that belief. 

“Helping a community overcome systemic oppression and giving them a fair opportunity as human beings: That is what’s most rewarding,” Stacey said.

She wants to help more people like Rasheid become financially resilient, no matter their age, background, or zip code. 

“These are the young men I’m going to see in the community – and I know I helped them,” she said. 

Securing long-term employment and financial stability can be a long, stressful road, especially for those carrying a criminal record and the trauma of seeing loved ones shot and killed.

But it’s not an impossible one.

“There’s more to life than the violence you see around you,” Rasheid said. “There’s more to life than the poverty you see around you. With the right knowledge and separating yourself from those things, you can accomplish anything.”