Father Gregory Boyle is the founder of Homeboy Industries, the largest gang intervention, rehabilitation, and reentry program in the world, now it’s in 31st year.
A native of Los Angeles, Father Greg was ordained a Jesuit priest in 1984. Transformed by his work in Bolivia, Mexico, and Folsom Prison on behalf of those who “live at the margins,” Father Greg dedicated himself to finding a place for all in our society. While serving as pastor of the poorest parish in East LA, Father Greg started Homeboy Industries, a nonprofit organization that employs and trains more than 300 former gang members every year in seven social enterprises, from Homeboy Silkscreen & Embroidery to Homeboy Bakery and Homegirl Cafe. Now located in downtown Los Angeles, Homeboy provides a path to change and free, critical services to the 12,000 people who walk through its doors every year seeking a better life. Homeboy’s innovative approach of on-the-job training in conjunction with mental health therapy, tattoo removal, and case management, has become a model for other organizations around the world.
Father Greg has served on the U.S. Attorney General’s (DOJ) National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s National Gang Center Advisory Board, the CA State Commission for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Loyola Law School Center for Juvenile Law and Policy Advisory Board, and the Regis University Board. He is the author of the New York Times bestselling book, Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion. His second book, Barking to the Choir: Now Entering the Kinship of God, was published in 2017.
Growing up in Los Angeles, Jose Arellano and his family moved around a lot. Although he excelled in school and was placed in a Gifted and Talented Education Program, his family was deeply involved in the gang culture, and at age 12, Jose got involved with gangs, too. Cycling in and out of juvenile hall and prison since age 15, Jose heard about Homeboy Industries and went to them for help finding a job. After successfully completing their 18-month program, Jose worked his way into the Employment Services Department, and then became a Navigator. He now serves as Homeboy’s Director of Case Management; his goals include providing a quality of life for his children that allows them to thrive, and mentoring and supporting future leaders and current staff at Homeboy.
RELATED LINKS
Website: https://homeboyindustries.org
Email: info@homeboyindustries.org
Twitter: https://twitter.com/homeboyind
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HomeboyIndustries
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/homeboyindustries
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/company/homeboy-industries
FATHER GREG
TEDx Conejo 2012: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ipR0kWt1Fkc
JOSE
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/josearellanoofficial
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lowendclothing
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/withoutyourpermission