Homeboy Industries Sandwiched by Economy

When the economy hits the big boys, it also hurts the homeboys. Now, we're not talking about the ones the City Attorney is planning to sue, but we are about the hard working nonprofit Homeboy Industries, which helps youth and former gang members become positive members of society. Celeste at Witness LA finds out about their hiring freeze: "In fact, they will be lucky if they can make payroll for their existing workers. Added to that, the jobs the Homeboy staff used to be able to find for the scores and scores of young men and women who come through their doors weekly looking for work, seem to have all but vaporized." So not only does the bottom line hurt in general, but the fact that they can't place people in jobs--which is part of their mission--because no one else is hiring impacts Homeboy on both sides.