Homeboy Industries

Proof No. 23

Homeboy Industries | From Gangs to Jobs, One Los Angeles Bakery at a Time

One story. One founder. One undeniable result.

In the 1980s, Los Angeles was the gang capital of the United States. Fr. Greg Boyle, a Jesuit priest assigned to one of the city’s most violent neighborhoods, began offering jobs to young men coming out of prison—no lectures, no charity, just a paycheck and a chance.

That became Homeboy Industries, now the largest gang rehabilitation and reentry program in the world. Every year, over 8,000 people walk through its doors for transitional jobs, therapy, tattoo removal, and community. Its social enterprises—like Homeboy Bakery, Homegirl Café, and Homeboy Electronics Recycling—offer training and income to those who’ve been excluded from nearly every other path.

The model has inspired programs in more than 30 cities. But its core remains simple: radical compassion and real economic opportunity can shrink cycles of violence faster than punishment ever has.

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