Since Homeboy Industries’ founding in 1988, we have become the largest gang rehabilitation and reentry program in the world. We offer an "exit ramp" for those stuck in a cycle of violence and incarceration, helping them develop the strength and skills to transform their lives. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, there are 450 active gangs in Los Angeles, with an estimated membership of over 45,000 individuals. With this high density of gangs, youth who have previously been involved with the criminal justice system are at significantly higher risk of joining at a young age, leading to offending and re-offending. Given that 25 percent of the individuals Homeboy Industries historically served were 14-21 years old, we recognized the need to focus intentionally on juvenile reentry and launched the Youth Reentry Center in 2020.

Our Youth Reentry Center is the first program of its kind in Los Angeles County, and an important resource for at-risk and/or formerly gang involved or incarcerated youth. At the Youth Reentry Center, we help youth participants address gang involvement, recidivism, unemployment, and complex trauma by combining evidence-based therapeutic case management services with education, career development, and comprehensive wraparound services. Our commitment to providing culturally competent services has led to the creation of the Youth Navigator position – people with lived experience who can provide leadership and peer mentorship for incoming trainees. Homeboy Industries has unparalleled experience working with our served population; we recognize that youth will trust the process more if they can see themselves in the people helping them.

Homeboy Industries is proud of the work we are doing to model an alternative to the revolving door of gang-involvement and incarceration our youth face. But, more importantly, we are proud of the participants in the Youth Reentry Center Programming, who are some of the hardest to engage in Los Angeles County, for showing up and being willing to put in the work to change the way they see themselves and their place in the community and the world.

Homeboy Industries Youth Reentry Center Staff at Homeboy Industries Summer 2023 Family Picnic

Participants in the Youth Reentry Center program have the opportunity to attend school at Learning Works Charter School, which operates onsite at the Youth Reentry Center. Learning Works serves youth returning from juvenile detention centers/camps and youth who have dropped out or are in danger of withdrawing from mainstream education without attaining a high school diploma. They also have access to academic growth and career support through tutoring, college preparation, college/work site tours, workforce development enrichment, and work readiness programs, and internal care coordination, which provides referrals to internal or external resources to accommodate the individualized needs of each participant.

One of the most unique programs at Homeboy Industries is our Art Academy, which centers art as the vehicle for healing and transformation for formerly incarcerated youth. Through a trauma-informed approach, the Art Academy delivers restorative art practices designed to build community, develop youth leadership, promote mental health and resiliency, and break intergenerational cycles of gang involvement, violence, and incarceration. In addition, the Art Academy provides opportunities for participants to learn business skills to encourage the pursuit of jobs in the creative economy and sets youth up for success as they pursue their career or education.

Youth participant at his easel at the Homeboy Art Academy

Homeboy Industries tracks progress made in the Youth Reentry Center on an annual basis. During 2022, we accomplished the following:

• 155 youth trainees in the 12-month reentry program accessed our wraparound services, education, and job training.
• 199 youth, ages 14-21, were served at the Youth Reentry Center.
• 35 youth graduated from high school.
• 50 percent of graduates were placed into jobs at our social enterprises or enrolled in post-secondary education.
• 5 youths enrolled in college as first-generation college students.

Our impact is best evidenced by the long-term success of our participants. Homeboy Industries began tracking postsecondary education and employment following graduating from the Youth Reentry Center in 2020; thus, we currently have two years of data to report on for this metric. Among Youth Reentry Center participants, the vast majority (83 percent) did not recidivate since their enrollment date.

Homeboy Industries’ Youth Reentry Center continues to support and elevate systems-impacted youth, like Anthony. Watch Anthony’s story of education and hope!

Since Homeboy Industries launched the Youth Reentry Center Program, we have provided services to 589 formerly gang-involved or incarcerated youth. One area where we have seen particularly strong demand for services has been in health and wellness. Health and wellness programming, including mental health, substance use treatment and intervention, is a prominent component of the healing process at the Youth Reentry Center. While accessing these resources remains a taboo subject for many of our participants, we address their hesitancy by utilizing a low-barrier, positive-psychology approach. We emphasize strengths and accomplishments, rather than focusing on what is “wrong” with our youth participants, demonstrating our expertise in serving some of the region’s hardest-to-reach youth. This year, we hired a full-time therapist, who has been leading our efforts to provide therapeutic, healing support to youth.

Halloween 2022 at the Youth Reentry Center

We have encountered some challenges with transportation for events like field trips, as some youth may feel unsafe on public transportation or may not have reliable public or private transportation to get to the Youth Reentry Center on time. We also want to make sure youth have a safe option to get home at night. We are in the process of connecting with Skip Hop, an on-demand, rideshare service that is geared towards youth and is an age-appropriate alternative to Uber, as a solution to these transportation challenges.

Youth participant (center) with Pottery Instructor (right)

The Youth Reentry Center is in the process of operationalizing an ambitious growth strategy to double our impact by serving more youth trainees and community clients. At the heart of Homeboy Industries’ mission is an open-door policy: all are welcome, and no one is turned away. From the moment a young adult walks through the door at the Youth Reentry Center, they are met with wrap-around supports and are welcomed into our community. First and foremost, we are a sanctuary for the youth we serve – a place rooted in belonging, where our young people are accepted for who they are and inspired with a sense of hope for the future.