By Tess Alonge
Founded informally in 1992 (officially in 2001) by Father Greg Boyle, Homeboy Industries is a hybrid social enterprise in that seeks to provide hope, training, and support to men and women that are formerly gang-involved and/or previously incarcerated. The program touches over 10,000 members of the Los Angeles community each year.
As discussed in the December 2017 SEI Newsletter, Homeboy Industries has six different businesses where individuals can be employed, including a bakery, grocery, recycling center, cafe, and silkscreen and embroidery shop. Through an 18-month program that helps people re-identify their place in the community and gain professional skills, Homeboy Industries offers full-time employment in its businesses for over 200 people at a time. Also, the program offers several community initiatives to complement job training, including tattoo removal, workforce development, education, legal services, and mental health services.
By taking advantage of the employment program and support systems, participants acquire the tools to “graduate” from Homeboy Industries. The ultimate goal of the organization is to help former gang members and previously incarcerated individuals avoid recidivism and attain stable roles in the community.
Smart on Crime
Homeboy Industries is strategic in its efforts to reduce recidivism in many ways. Statistics show that post-release from prison/juvenile centers, two thirds of youthful offenders will be re-arrested. In East Los Angeles, over 53 percent of adults never completed high school and 75 percent of California’s youth gang homicides occur in Los Angeles County. By choosing to be located in LA, Homeboy Industries is easily accessible to the most at-risk population in the state of California. By working with several of these affected individuals, the organization has discovered that this cycle of gang violence and incarceration is overwhelmingly perpetuated by a lethal absence of hope. Homeboy Industries works to turn the tide of gang activity and change attitudes in law enforcement by being smart, not tough, on crime. It asks the question: what if we were to invest in this population rather than just endlessly incarcerate? This mindset has redirected attention away from suppression and towards education, intervention, and treatment.
Focused and Meaningful Impact
Los Angeles is known as the “gang capital” of the U.S., with over 450 active gangs according to the LAPD. With such a pressing need facing the county, the organization has chosen to selectively focus on targeting the most at-risk individuals, or those with the most serious barriers to employment. These individuals may be juvenile youth, persons recently released from prison, or those trying to escape gang involvement. The work of Homeboy Industries could theoretically help millions of people in LA: as the home to 34% of California’s poor, this county has an overwhelming need. The model does not aim to be fully inclusive, because it would not be as focused nor as effective. By recognizing that there was a specific population within the area with such immense need, and developing tailored programs to meet these needs, the organization has become a well-known beacon of hope for the most necessitous juvenile youth and disaffiliated gang members.
Homeboy Industries has helped thousands of high-risk LA youth with a variety of free programs: mental health counseling, GED courses, professional training and legal services. The organization has been able to engage over 120,000 gang members and show them alternative pathways to addiction, violence, and crime. According to a study from UCLA, six out of ten gang members who participate in Homeboy’s programs are able to successfully reintegrate into society and abstain from violence and gang-related activity. One of the mottos of the organization is “nothing stops a bullet like a job,” and the program’s main value is compassion.
Scaling a Mission, not a Model
The organization is one of the largest, most holistic and successful gang intervention, rehabilitation and re-entry programs in the nation. It is also one of the oldest organizations of its kind and has received praise from its peers throughout the country. The mission and model is admired and has been contagious: elements of the organization have been adopted in 46 different programs in the U.S. and internationally.
Homeboy recognizes that different communities have different needs, and therefore does not try to scale the organization as a franchise. Instead, it allows other programs to seek advice and technical assistance when requested. The organization helps other programs to understand its model, so that they can develop and refine their own models that are suited to relevant cultural needs. The founder of Homeboy, Father Greg Boyle, hopes to create an annual conference that rehabilitation leaders can attend so everyone can discuss best practices and learn from one another. He hopes to “build a network, widen the circle of kinship, and decrease the marginalization of high risk members of communities.”
