In providing employment services, Homeboy targets and focuses on the segment of the community that finds it the most difficult to secure employment on their own -- former gang members, parolees, and at-risk youth. Programs offer a much-needed intervention to those who deserve a second chance at life. Homeboy Industries first venture was The 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. This collection consists primarily of correspondence written by Homeboy clients and family members to Homeboy founder Father Greg Boyle. There are also administrative records and Father Boyle's personal papers. The collection also includes an assortment of audiovisual material.

Father Gregory J. Boyle, S.J. is a Jesuit priest who is founder of Jobs For A Future / Homeboy Industries, an employment referral center and economic development program. Begun in 1988, for at-risk and gang-involved youth, Jobs For A Future is, today, a nationally recognized center that assists 1000 people a month in re-directing their lives. Through its unique and multi-service approach, Jobs For A Future offers hope to those for whom hope is often foreign. Located in Boyle Heights, a community with arguably the highest concentration of gang activity in Los Angeles, Jobs For A Future provides employment opportunities, counseling, and many other services (including free tattoo removal). By seeking to address the root causes of gang violence, Jobs For A Future creates opportunities so at-risk youth can plan their futures and not their funerals. "Nothing stops a bullet like a job" is the guiding principle. In 1992, as a response to the civil unrest in Los Angeles, Father Boyle formed Homeboy Industries to create businesses that provide training, work experience, and above all, the opportunity for rival gang members to work side by side. The following economic development enterprises have been created since the first venture, Homeboy Bakery: Homeboy Silkscreen, Homeboy / Homegirl Merchandise, Homeboy Graffiti Removal, Homeboy Maintenance, and Homeboy Landscaping.

27 linear feet (40 boxes; 2 record storage cartons; 2 flat boxes; 4 oversize flat boxes; 4 mixed media boxes; 1 shoe box)

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