A Softer Landing is delivering results since we opened this year. Our goals are to provide a healthy, supportive and productive transition back into society for our fallen men. We believe attitude and environment plays a huge roll in a person’s success.
We provide (4) furnished private rooms and 2 emergency beds at our location with washer/dryer a Large yard and plenty of parking. You will find a binder Mike put together full of helpful information like a list of jobs that hire felons, day labor locations. From public donations we hope to provide necessities, Gift cards like goodwill and walmart, bikes, bus pass and much more.
Mike and Cissy are 100% all in and are passionate about helping men thrive in duval county, Jacksonville Florida.
Click on the Useful links, find out if a location will pass the sheriff’s website. Click on the FAC link to get information about reform and the Sex Offender laws in our state……
We understand the many challenges you face upon your release. The system seems to have set you up for failure, but we have some tools to help you keep moving forward.
We welcome your feedback and suggestions. Use our Contact Us page to tell us what we’re doing right or what we can improve on.
My Story
Do to the (CRD) Conditional Release rules I abide by… I myself will not be posting on the web. However, My wonderful loving wife will be managing and editing it for us.
How I ended up getting a 30 year sentence at age 34
Let’s go back, way back… First I want to say that Drugs and alcohol are not a defence or an excuse for my behavior.
I was self medicating at a young age to dull the pain of my childhood and the memories that were burnt in my mind that I had no control over.
Before I knew it my addictions were running my life, I was working and living to get high and get to my next drink…
I won’t be going into much detail, it is difficult as it is to share my personal story. Everyone has a story to tell, The events in our lives can make-or-break us.
Yes it broke me into devastation, God pulled me out of the depths of my despair many times over the years. But it wasn’t until I got a 30 years sentence that I was finally able to get clean and start working on me, Looking for answers.
Turned to God looking for guidance, looking for me, who am I, what makes me tick. I wanted to be a better man a better person. I now have the time to dedicate to finding me, I had been lost for many years. I had to get my mind, body and spirit healthy and be ready for a new life when i’m a free man again.
I hope that in telling my story will come understanding and compassion for others that were dragged through hell during childhood by the hands of the people we trusted the most in the world to guide us.
- My life before parents separation…..
Don’t have a lot of good memories before my parents divorce. I do remember (age 5) an organ we got for Christmas had numbers on the keys, so I learned to play very well. Had big steel toy trucks I used to play with (age 6-7) out back. Early on i was already medicating myself by inhaling the fumes of model glue, drinking and smoking. Mom and dad arguing all the time . We were all real scared of DAD he drank every day . He could roar… One day he called us in for dinner, I didn’t come as soon as he called. Next thing I know I was being drop kicked across the room. I can’t speak for my brothers and sisters, but just know it was bad for all of us.
- My life during parents 2 year separation then divorce….
After they separated mom went to work and was out most of the time, so our older sister (age13) took on more responsibilities. We kinda ran wild. Little or no supervision to speak of. I remember stealing candy from the corner store and the department store. After a while we were reported to the welfare department. They showed up one Saturday morning when mom wasn’t there. Sis wouldn’t let them in. She gathered us all up, all 7 kids and we went out the back door and ran to the next town to dads house. Later that day arrangements were made for dad to take us back to our house to get our clothes The welfare case worker and police were there when we arrived. We were being put in cars, dad had to be held back. He eventually got them to let him drive us to the detention center. We were all screaming and crying for eachother so much confusion. later we all went back with mom, but 6 months later we were picked up by welfare again. It took years before I could talk about it without breaking down. Next I remember is being in a foster home with my little sisters. I was stealing from these people so they told the welfare they didn’t want me, that I was trouble. Now I’m down on myself (age 8) feeling unwanted, not worth anyone’s time. It all had emotionally screwed up.
- The St. Anthony’s Village The orphanage….
Sent to orphanage in Toledo Ohio with brother and 2 sisters, I think I was there for 2 years. During my stay I was sure missing my home life, my siblings. We had a lot of structured programs. Their was a nun there that made it her responsibility to get me out of bed earlier than the rest of the boys to take me to mass. Every day she did this. I don’t remember when it started or when it ended. I remember thinking she was so pretty. I think I used her in place of my mother. I remember someone donated some telephone poles. We had them out on the playground for a while. They were laying on wooden horses so we could carve them into totem poles. That was nice at a young age, I learned to carve with a hammer and chisel.
Don’t see much of my brothers or sisters as I was in the JR boys area, Steve was in SR boys and Debbie in SR girls. There was an indoor pool and sometime we’d see each other there. Dad and Dean came to visit us at least once that I can remember. Mom came once too.
Had my first girlfriend there….. Every year the orphanage went as a group on a bus to the state fair, we stayed together the whole time. Big field behind the place and a baseball field. Had an outside trampoline, I loved that. A gymnasium.
Sometimes some people would come through and choose one of us
- what happend to me…
- Boys Town……
- My drive to find my role model (Dad)
- Alcohol, Drug and sex addiction….
- In and out of jail….
- Found the woman of my dreams…..
- Hiding my addictions …
- We had a love child…..
- My father passed away…..
- My reaction…..
- Wife divorced me……
- My reaction…
- 1985 After 3 years I found my ex-wife and daughter….
- 2 attempts to get them back, She said no way…..
- In and out of jail….
- I had many victims a long the way, I was an opportunist. Only I didn’t see them as victims, I saw them as a love interest for sex.
- When I went to court in 1996, I was found guilty of an unthinkable crime. . He said 30 years Mr. lasch.