What the Registry really is

I was asked to tell my side of what the registry really is to me. I know that some people will say that my opinion does not matter since I am just another “sick person”. Well guess what, I am human too and just because you see a label does not mean that I am that kind of person. There are always two sides to a story. To give everyone a little bit of information behind sex offender charges, you can be drunk, trip, reach out and grab boobs not knowing it was a 17-year-old. Then, Bam! You are on the registry. Florida is the toughest state to live in as a S/O. They have so many rules to follow that it makes it impossible to live and work anywhere. This is the reason why my husband and I decided to move out of Florida. We wanted a fresh start with our children. We were tired of the threats and people driving by our house (which is on a private road). So, we moved. First to Maryland. Maryland had me as a “high risk” offender. I never touched her let alone knew that it had happened. So needless to say, Maryland had me registering every three months. I thought that by moving, things would be different. It was the same BS that I had delt with back in Florida. The only difference was that I was nowhere near the people that did this to me. I was able to get a job, but in some way, Maryland is worse than Florida. Given that I was not able to go to the school to pick my children up or drop them off. That is when we started thinking about moving again. Especially when Covid hit, and everything went into lock down. My children were home, and I could help teach them. I too decided to go back to school. Since the state was in need of CNA’s, I did my schooling and got my CNA/GNA. After I achieved this goal, I started working at a nursing home. I loved my job there, the people that I got to work with and the residents which I started to get attached to. I ended up getting burnt out with all the extra shifts and people getting sick. I decided to take some time off. That is when we moved to New York. So far it is one of the least stick states to live in. The only problem that I am having is getting a job doing any kind of medical help. This is because the DOH does background checks and they decide if you are a threat to anyone. Now before you get all talking about how I should not work in the medical field you should know that in New York I am a level 1, which shows that I am not a threat to anyone. I found a wonderful job at a small retirement home that has 13 residents. I loved it there. I got to show off my cooking skills and just sit down and talk to them. But because of DOH I am no longer employed there. My employer and I are fighting it so that I can have my job back. I found a Certificate of Relief of Disabilities. This certificate will show that I am not a threat and that I am trying to be a part of sociality. With all this going on we have also been homeless since August of 2020. We are still looking for a place to live but with everything that is going on it is so hard. We have DSS involved but they are unwilling to help us at all. They took our food stamps away and told us that we have to use our daughter’s Social Security (which we no longer are receiving right now) to pay for the hotel. On top of all this, they sanctioned my husband and I for their workforce program. We also only had until today, 12-10-21 to pay up front. Now I have been emailing my case workers, which they have not returned any of my emails at all for the last 3 weeks. I believe that they are using my charges against me so that they do not have to help us. So, my husband contacted the mayor’s office, which we are waiting on a response back from the mayor. If we do not hear by the end of today, then we will be calling them back on Monday. I hope this explains in my words what the registry to me is. It is a ball and chain weighing me and others down and keeping from us from achieving our life goals.