SAN JOSE, Calif. — After seven years of homelessness and an arrest that landed him behind bars, 50-year-old Raymond Abels never dreamed he’d be in a position to help others struggling to overcome life on the streets. As part of a new 15-inmate vocational training program at Santa Rita Jail in Alameda County, Abels volunteers several days a week putting together furniture for people in need. The finished pieces – desks, dressers, nightstands and more – are distributed by the Bay Area Furniture Bank to people and families transitioning out of homelessness. To Abels, who is awaiting sentencing o…