Better Together job fair brings second chances to Lehigh Acres
Jennifer Pena made one great choice that is helping her overcome all the terrible ones.
Pena, 31 and from North Fort Myers, had been arrested 17 times over the previous 11 years on charges ranging from trespassing, probation violation and failure to appear in court to burglary, grand and petty theft and drug possession.
Before an eight-month prison sentence concluded last year, the Lee County Jail connected her with Better Together, a privately funded, non-profit organization that specializes in keeping families together and finding job matches for people needing a second chance.
Pena’s timing in rebuilding her life is coinciding with a surge in “help wanted” signs appearing back on restaurants, the retail sector and industrial-type work as the economy continues to recover from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.