Profiles of Changemakers: Father Gregory Boyle with Homeboy Industries

Back in the 1980s, Father Gregory Boyle (or “Father Greg” as he is affectionately known) started a program called “Jobs for a Future” based in Los Angeles. Since then the program expanded into what today is called Homeboy Industries, the nation’s largest anti-gang program and a model for change in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. Homeboy Industries has expanded to serve former gang members and incarcerated youth with free re-entry programs such as counseling, education, tattoo removal, job training, and placement.The innovative program’s slogan is “Nothing stops a bullet like a job.”

Boyle says, “Gang violence is about a lethal absence of hope.” With that awareness, the Catholic priest witnessed the raging violence and gang activity in Los Angeles during the 1980s and 1990s and he and his parish decided to take a radically different approach to the problem: to view and treat gang members as human beings and to help address their core needs.

Homeboy Industries comprises a network of small businesses that hire difficult-to-place youth—including Homeboy Bakery, Homeboy Silkscreen, Homeboy Maintenance (lawn and maintenance services), Homeboy Merchandise (t-shirts, mugs, tote bags, etc.), and most recently Homegirl Café dedicated to female clients to offer on-the-job training in restaurant service and hospitality.

With former rivals working side-by-side in the bakery or café, and former gang members finding a new lease on life, work, and purpose, Homeboy Industries celebrates the ongoing work of transforming lives—“Thousands of young people have walked through the doors of Homeboy Industries looking for a second chance, and finding community. Gang affiliations are left outside as these young people work together, side by side, learning the mutual respect that comes from shared tasks and challenges.”

Connect with Father Gregory Boyle:

Website: www.homeboy-industries.org