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Have you ever heard of Homeboy Industries? Their motto is actually "nothing stops a bullet like a job." It was started by Father Greg Boyle, a Jesuit priest out

Have you ever heard of Homeboy Industries? Their motto is actually "nothing stops a bullet like a job." It was started by Father Greg Boyle, a Jesuit priest out in LA, and basically he opened these bakeries (and some other businesses) specifically to give former gang members jobs in addition to offering free tattoo removal and a lot of other counseling/therapy services. The idea is that people fall into the cycle of gang violence when they have no hope and no prospects, so by offering them gainful employment in spite of their pasts and the additional support to address their psychological traumas, HBI helps them to break the cycle and pave the way for them to become functional, contributing members of society. They do amazing work and I would love to see this model replicated across the country. I'm an atheist but Father Greg is one of my greatest heroes. I highly recommend his recent interview on Fresh Air.

AlexB138 9y ago
That's fantastic. I believe Men's Warehouse's founder (who has been ousted) also advocated for something similar. I wonder how well those "second chance" hires end up working out compared to typical hires. I have to imagine those that have reformed themselves appreciate the opportunity and may end up being more loyal employees longterm, but I also have to assume there are some who don't turn it around.
RBBronson123 9y ago
I've worked with Home Boy, and you're right, it's a wonderful organization staffed by great people. Unfortunately, for it along with many other great non-profits, they spend so much of their time fund raising (development) and exist year to year, on donations and grants. No npo has scaled nationally. After working in the non-profit space myself, I grew convinced that a for-profit approach could address the breadth of the problem of recidivism. That' when I launched 70MillionJobs.
- phasetransition 9y ago
  100% agreement to NPO challenges of work vs. fundraising. My wife is on the board of a refugee-supporting NPO. The present climate has funded them well, but the winds could change. Personally, I hope they could spawn a B-corp type entity during this season of plenty to develop sustainable funding. In a similar fashion, the Clarkston, GA refugee community has had comparative success because there is a network of ready, undesirable jobs processing chickens. There is also an established network of shuttle companies for transportation. While the cliche of the refugee doctor or engineer working in a chicken plant is very real, stable work is huge for getting these families started in the US. P.S. I have a brother in law now working past a decade of addiction and related tomfoolery. I'll definitely send your company to him.

AlexB138 9y ago

That's fantastic. I believe Men's Warehouse's founder (who has been ousted) also advocated for something similar. I wonder how well those "second chance" hires end up working out compared to typical hires. I have to imagine those that have reformed themselves appreciate the opportunity and may end up being more loyal employees longterm, but I also have to assume there are some who don't turn it around.

RBBronson123 9y ago

I've worked with Home Boy, and you're right, it's a wonderful organization staffed by great people. Unfortunately, for it along with many other great non-profits, they spend so much of their time fund raising (development) and exist year to year, on donations and grants. No npo has scaled nationally. After working in the non-profit space myself, I grew convinced that a for-profit approach could address the breadth of the problem of recidivism. That' when I launched 70MillionJobs.

phasetransition 9y ago
100% agreement to NPO challenges of work vs. fundraising. My wife is on the board of a refugee-supporting NPO. The present climate has funded them well, but the winds could change. Personally, I hope they could spawn a B-corp type entity during this season of plenty to develop sustainable funding. In a similar fashion, the Clarkston, GA refugee community has had comparative success because there is a network of ready, undesirable jobs processing chickens. There is also an established network of shuttle companies for transportation. While the cliche of the refugee doctor or engineer working in a chicken plant is very real, stable work is huge for getting these families started in the US. P.S. I have a brother in law now working past a decade of addiction and related tomfoolery. I'll definitely send your company to him.