They may look like any other Caltrans crew cleaning freeways in the county, but the men and women on these teams are looking for more than just a paycheck.

“It’s given me a lot of hope for the future,” said Kenneth Yeargin, 50. “I’m really optimistic about what’s going to happen in my life.”

The San Diego native had struggled with addiction, alcoholism and homelessness, but was determined to change his life when released from prison in February 2018. He had been staying at the residential rehabilitation program The Way Back when he heard about an opportunity to work for the California Department of Transportation, which was hiring veterans who had experienced homeless.

On a crew for the past three months after being hired through the Back2Work program, Yeargin works four days a week earning $14 an hour and attends weekly meetings to learn resume-writing, interviewing techniques and other skills to help find jobs.


“One of the best things about the program is we’re out making a living while we’re searching for a job,” said Yeargin, who served in the Navy from 1990 to 1994 and would like to find full-time work with Caltrans or working as a mechanic on heavy machinery.

For the past two years, Caltrans has hired veterans through Back2Work, a transitional employment program the Butte County Office of Education runs in 14 California counties. Randy Wortman, the Southern California regional coordinator for the program, said the San Diego office is focused on veterans while other counties might focus on people from the criminal justice system or who are homeless.

Caltrans originally hired three crews, each with 12 or 15 members, but last month increased the number of workers to fill seven crews in Kearny Mesa and Santee.

“It’s working well for our department and for the public in general,” said Bill McClinton, Caltrans area superintendent of metro areas in San Diego. “They help with our workloads. We’re kind of short right now for some crews, so it’s been very beneficial.”


Wortman said the Butte County Office of Education works with San Diego Veterans Village to recruit people to its local program. Since launching, the San Diego effort has had an 84 percent success rate, with 153 people leaving their Caltrans job for other employment after three to six months.

“It’s not glamorous, but the whole idea is to earn money while looking for other work,” he said. “A well-paying job that can pay the bills in San Diego.”

Some jobs may be within Caltrans itself.

Norma Murillo, 38, is a Marine Corps veterans who served from 2001 to 2006 and was on one of the first Caltrans crews in 2017.


“I was homeless, unemployed, in recovery, with no emotional or financial support,” she said. “In the last year, I was living in my car.”

Murillo said she learned about the Back2Work opportunity through an email from an agency that helps veterans find work.

“It was really simple,” she said. “All I had to do was show up and follow instructions and be ready to get trained alongside Caltrans workers.”

Murillo said she felt like she fit in working alongside fellow veterans, and she began to see a change in herself.


“When I started working, I started seeing a little bit of hope,” she said. “You can get a job with Caltrans or anywhere. It was designed perfectly. They didn’t really judge you on your past. “

Murillo said she found support and encouragement at work, but had a setback a month after she started when her car was totaled in a crash that left her briefly hospitalized, and then sleeping on the street.

“I really didn’t have anything else that was material, but I had the program,” she said, choking back tears at the memory.

In February, she began a new job as an official technician with Caltrans. A week later, she was able to rent an apartment in North Park, and she now owns a car. While she doesn’t have custody of her children, she said she is happy that she can see them more these days.


“I don’t want to go back,” she said after her new life. “I want to move forward.”

Yeargin said he has been busy sending out job applications and resumes, and he fills good about the progress he’s made while continuing his search.

“If you’re just out there and unemployed, it’s easy to fall back on your old ways or get discouraged because you’re not getting calls back from your interviews,” he said. “And not only do we work, but at the end of the day, we feel like we’re a contributing member of society.”

People interested in signing up for the program can learn more about it by calling 211 and entering option four to speak with someone from Courage to Call or by visiting the website www.sdvetsback2work.org.