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Garrett Fairbanks Putting One Foot in Front of the Other G arrett Fairbanks found himself homeless


and unemployed, carrying a bag on his back and selling aluminum scrap just to put some money in his pocket. But Garrett didn’t let the difficult circumstances push him into deep despair. Instead, he told himself to keep stepping forward.


Garrett grew up in Kenosha, Wisconsin, with his parents and two brothers. He recalls good years playing outdoor sports and singing in the high school choir. When he got out of school, he started working but during the recession, he was laid off.


He started collecting unemployment and tried his hand at home repair and odd jobs but couldn’t find enough work to support himself.


His housing situation was also unstable. Before long Garrett didn’t have the money for an apartment of his own, so he stayed with friends, bouncing around from place to place. And then, his unemployment benefits ran out.


“I didn’t have the money to really pay for anything, so I had to move out of my friend’s house,” he said. “It got rough for a while. I was pretty much on the streets, carrying a bag on my back, basically homeless.”


Garrett got involved with a church program, which offered him housing each night at a different church. As part of the program, he was required to actively search for work and take part in different job coaching classes, like résumé preparation.


“The program got me moving a little quicker, helping put my name out there,” Garrett says. “That’s when I ended up finding Express.”


Garrett filled out an application with Express and went in for an interview. Within a week he was hired as a machinist for a local manufacturing


company. “Express found the job rather quickly and got me where I needed to go,” Garrett said.


But when it came to getting to his new job each day, Garrett was on his own. He did not have a vehicle, so he set out on a five to six mile bicycle ride each morning–as early as 6 a.m. from the different churches where he was staying, and in all kinds of weather.


Three months later, things continued to get better for Garrett as he was hired on permanently. He also received assistance in getting an apartment.


Having a job changed my life.


Garrett says things are very different in his life now. He is proud to be financially stable, living in his own apartment and paying his bills.


“Life is good,” he said. “I’m just trying to do the best I can. Not everything is perfect but I’m getting there. I can afford to do things on my own which really means something to me. If I want to go out to dinner one night, I can do that instead of having to worry, ‘Where am I going to eat next?’ or ‘Where am I going to sleep?’”


Garrett was recognized as the 2012 Wisconsin Employee of the Year by Express for his dedication and inspirational rags-to-riches story.


“Things changed quickly,” he said. “I went from being homeless to having my own apartment and a good job. Having a job changed my life.”


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