Pass the Mic with Jocelyn Portillo

Jocelyn Portillo may be a “Jersey girl” at heart but she’s built a life of service in Baltimore. Read how she’s turning her passion for helping others into a career.

I’ll always be a Jersey girl. New York, New Jersey—they have the best pizza anywhere. And this summer, my friends and I have plans to take the bus to New Jersey, spend one day at Six Flags Great Adventure and then go to Hurricane Harbor. Oh, my God. You have to go there to understand.

I went through a lot of troubling times when I was married. To get away from those troubles, that’s the reason I wound up in Maryland.

We are people. We belong. We're not outcasts.

I am very excited about being part of Maryland Safe Haven. My best friend got me involved there. I now volunteer, and I'm hoping for it to turn into a regular job. They have a large harm reduction outreach team. Part of their concept is to help people who use drugs or alcohol stay safe and alive and be there when they are ready to go into recovery. They are very active in connecting people in need with resources.

I can remember sleeping under bridges when I was in active addiction. The first time I got sober, my parents were still alive. They protected me from going into bad spaces.

The second time around was when I came to Maryland. I went through all the hell that addicts go through. I know what it is to sleep in an alley. I know what it is to be scrounging around to get that next drink. I don't want someone else to have to go through what I did. If I can help them along the way, that's my goal.

During the pandemic, I got coronavirus and was hospitalized. There was one particular nurse, and I told her about all the stuff up in New Jersey, coming down to Maryland, how my job credentials didn’t transfer, how I felt like I was too old…I remember her turning, looking at me and saying, “There's always time. You're still breathing.” That conversation changed everything.

I’ve been able to grow. I've been able to move forward.

I got connected to Health Care for the Homeless while I was staying at the Eastern Family Resource Center shelter downstairs. With Health Care for the Homeless, I don't feel like a number. I'm not going to some miscellaneous doctor. When I walk in this office, everybody knows me, everybody says hello. I could walk into an appointment with my provider, and she would finish my sentences for me! My counselor is here, my psychiatrist is here, my nurse is here. I'm moving forward with dental care. This place has helped me so much.

Right now, I am living in a treatment program. I’ll be there until the fall. My confidence is a lot higher today. I've got incredible friends and staff supporting my goals.

I just got my Community Health Worker (CHW) certification, and I am in the process of completing a University of Maryland Global Campus program.

I am a trans woman, and that population gets very put down. That's why Pride Month is so incredible. It's a whole month to say, “We are people. We belong. We're not outcasts. We deserve to be recognized.” That is a huge thing. You need to be okay in your own skin.

A year from now, I want to be that outreach worker, that CHW. I'm focusing on working with two groups: the LGBTQ+ community and the addiction recovery community. I'm 67 years old, and I'm going back to the school that I originally got my bachelor's degree from in 2000. It's an exciting experience.

The only thing I say to people is don't give up. Keep moving forward. That's where you need to put your focus.

“Pass the Mic” is a storytelling space featuring the voices and stories of people with a lived experience of homelessness.

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