Homeboy Industries

Location: California
Category: Other

Homeboy Industries mission is to assist at-risk and former gang involved youth to become contributing members of our community through a variety of services in response to their multiple needs. Free programs -- including counseling, education, tattoo removal, job training and job placement -- enable young people to redirect their lives and provide them with hope for their futures.

Our first venture was Homeboy Bakery, which trained many gang members to become scratch bakers. Homeboy Industries has subsequently launched several additional income-producing ventures which are still thriving: Homeboy Silkscreen, which prints logos on apparel and provides embroidery services; Homeboy Maintenance, which provides landscape maintenance and special landscape installation projects; Homeboy/Homegirl Merchandise, which sells t-shirts, mugs, tote bags, and mouse pads with the Homeboy logo.

In providing employment services, Homeboy targets and focuses on that segment of the community that finds it most difficult to secure employment on their own -- former gang members, parolees, and at-risk youth. Although the headquarters is based in East Los Angeles, there is no organization in Los Angeles that serves a greater number of gang involved men and women. Our programs offer a much-needed intervention to those who deserve a second chance at life, and are “a whole lot more than the worst thing they’ve ever done.”

During the ensuing years, in response to identified needs, Homeboy has added new services to address the clients‚ multi-level needs and better prepare them for permanent employment outside our own businesses. Our services focus on education, training, financial responsibility and personal accounting to enable them to successfully retain employment.