About
Homeboy Industries provides hope, training, and support to formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated people in Los Angeles, allowing them to redirect their lives and become contributing members of their community. Founded in 1988 by Father Greg Boyle, the organization describes itself as the largest gang intervention, rehab and re-entry program in the world, operating from its headquarters at 130 W. Bruno Street in downtown Los Angeles.
Mission
In its own words: "Homeboy Industries provides hope, training, and support to formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated people, allowing them to redirect their lives and become contributing members of our community." The organization prioritizes five outcomes for the people it serves: reducing recidivism, reducing substance abuse, improving social connectedness, improving housing safety and stability, and reunifying families.
What they do
Homeboy Industries pairs an 18-month employment and re-entry program, which emphasizes healing alongside work-readiness development and employs more than 180 people at a time, with free wraparound services, including:
- Case management and navigation
- Tattoo removal
- Mental health support and substance abuse support
- Education services and an Art Academy
- Legal services
- Workforce development and solar panel training
- Youth re-entry, anger management, and parenting classes
Trainees work in the organization's social enterprises, which include a bakery, cafe, catering, a diner at L.A. City Hall, electronics recycling, farmers markets, a grocery, Homeboy Media, merchandise, dog grooming, and silkscreen and embroidery businesses.
History
Father Greg Boyle became pastor of Dolores Mission Church in 1986, then the poorest Catholic parish in Los Angeles, whose parish included Aliso Village and Pico Gardens, the largest public housing projects west of the Mississippi. Homeboy began in 1988 as a way of improving the lives of former gang members in East Los Angeles. Homeboy Bakery, the first social enterprise, launched in 1992, and Homeboy Industries became an independent nonprofit in 2001. A Global Homeboy Network now connects like-minded organizations beyond Los Angeles.
Scale and impact
According to the organization, over 10,000 former gang members from across Los Angeles come through its doors each year seeking services. In 2018 it reported serving almost 7,000 members of the immediate Los Angeles community, with over 400 men and women taking part in the flagship 18-month program that year.
Financials
Per its Form 990 data on ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer, for the fiscal year ending December 2024 Homeboy Industries reported revenue of $46,951,306, expenses of $41,682,660, and net assets of $78,456,135. Contributions made up 76.7 percent of revenue ($36,000,436), with net inventory sales from its social enterprises contributing $5,968,176. Homeboy Industries is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, EIN 95-4800735.