Despite the fact that the Los Angeles County’s final evaluation of its venture with Homeboy Industries will not be complete until August, the County Board of Supervisors decided to renew its $1.3 million agreement with the organization that provides gang-involved youth job training and services.

Father Gregory Boyle (center), founder of Homeboy Industries, was joined by Mayor Antonio Villaragosa (left), City Councilmember Tony Cardenas, and several of Homeboy’s clients during a press conference in June when the Homeboy Diner debuted at L.A. City Hall. (photo by Edwin Folven)

“Renewing this contract is a wonderful gesture from the county, because they are saying they are committed to the cause,” said Veronica Vargas, COO for Homeboy Industries.

“Father (Gregory) Boyle has credibility with the community and a common trust, and he has proven to be very effective with transitions for young people who have been in a life of crime and violence to one of productivity and serenity, and one that has an absence of illegal activity,” said L.A. County Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, 3rd District.

Money provided by the county in the renewed agreement will fund more than 665 tattoo removals, which is significant because it is often the first barrier former gang members face when searching for employment, Vargas said.

Last year, Homeboy Industries was in financial trouble, when the county stepped in with an agreement to provide $1.3 million in bridge funding, Yaroslavsky said. The agreement is not permanent, but the board of supervisors has decided to renew the funding because it has a very high regard for how Homeboy Industries deals with people coming out of lives filled with gang violence.

“We are the county’s aftercare, re-entry and rehab center for folks returning from prison,” said Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries. “We are very grateful to the board of supervisors for acknowledging our place in the county, and that we have been doing it for twenty-three years. This is a kind of seal of approval, and an indication in their confidence in us to deliver that service.”

Each year Homeboy Industries provides services for more than 12,000 at-risk youth, with an operating budget around $8.9 million.

“Most of it comes from foundations, corporations, businesses and our events,” Vargas said, “So we try to diversify, and not count on the government to sustain us, which makes us unique because we are creative and create jobs for a population that nobody wants to work with, and no one knows how to work with as well as we do.”

Homeboy Industries also generates about 25 percent of their budget through revenue produced by its businesses.

Vargas noted that they have had people from all over the world come to Homeboy Industries to learn their standards of practice that have worked in the Los Angeles community.

“It costs us maybe $25,000 to $30,000 a year to provide services to a gang member, and it costs $127,000 to keep someone in jail for a nonviolent crime, which is ludicrous,” Vargas said.

More than a quarter of a century ago, Boyle began what would become Homeboy Industries, in a local parish in Boyle Heights. They worked with more than eight different gangs that operated in the area, came up with a solution to end the violence: employment.

Today, Homeboy Industries provides more than just jobs for its clients with wraparound services ranging from job training, case management and legal assistance to tattoo removal for former gang members.

“Primarily, it’s learning the soft skills, like how to show up on time, how to take orders from disagreeable supervisors and all that kind of stuff,” Boyle said.

On June 9, Homeboy Industries opened its latest venture at L.A. City Hall, Homeboy Diner. So far, Vargas said, the feedback from the community on the diner has been positive.

Homeboy Industries also employs workers at its other operations, Homeboy Bakery, Homeboy Silkscreen and Embroidery, Homeboy Merchandise and Homegirl Cafe and Catering.

Currently, Homeboy Industries is working on growing its number of contracts for its bakery in order to create more jobs for its clients.

“They are places that train, employ and give gang members a reason to get up in the morning and not gang bang the night before,” Boyle said.  “In the last twenty years, one of the reasons gang related homicides have taken such a deep cut – in half and cut in half again – certainly one of the reasons is that Homeboy Industries is a place they go to as sort of an exit ramp from this crazy freeway.”