Rep. Roybal-Allard Commends The Weingart Center for Award of a Federal Grant to Provide Job Opportunities to Skid Row’s Homeless
Downtown Los Angeles, CA – February 24, 2011 – (RealEstateRama) — The Weingart Center today announced the award of a grant to create business ventures that will provide employment opportunities for the homeless.
The sub-grant was awarded by REDF, a California-based organization focused on starting and growing employment-focused social enterprises that provide employment opportunities for individuals facing multiple barriers to employment. REDF received a federal Social Innovation Fund award administered by the Corporation for National and Community Service and by matching private support. Weingart is one of six California nonprofits selected for inclusion in the new initiative.
“Los Angeles is facing a crisis in the job market and we cannot count on existing employers to provide sufficient jobs to meet demand for our participants,” said Gregory C. Scott, President and CEO of the Weingart Center. “REDF’s willingness to assist us with launching social enterprises demonstrates that it understands this crisis and can help us address it.”
Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard commended the Weingart Center’s leadership for its selection to take part in this new initiative established under the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act.
“I was proud to vote in support of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act and I am proud that an organization in my district has been selected to participate in the program,” said Roybal-Allard. “The Weingart Center has an exceptional record of helping the homeless. This new program will create jobs and employ individuals who face the greatest barriers to work.”
REDF also will provide hands-on business and technical assistance to Weingart to help start and expand the social enterprises.
The Weingart Center serves men and women in Skid Row by providing a variety of programs and services that give the homeless the skills, resources and hope they need to lead self-sufficient lives off the streets. Job training and placement services are a crucial component of this comprehensive service model.
Scott said that while Weingart Center has built up its workforce development efforts, the primary limiting factor is job placement.
“We employ eight job developers who represent the organization to employers, offering a source of motivated, pre-screened candidates for entry-level jobs in several industries,” Scott said. “But finding work environments that are supportive of those re-entering the workforce is extremely challenging and the competitive Los Angeles job market only magnifies the issue. That is why we must create these jobs.”
The Weingart Center is studying several potential business ventures. A leading concept is a bed bug removal business modeled on Bug and Scrub in Toronto.
“Bed bugs have not reached the level of concern in Los Angeles that they have in New York, but they are on the rise, especially in low-income neighborhoods,” said Scott. “We also considered meal preparation, fresh-cut provisions and desk clerk – lobby security positions.”
Scott said that in addition to generating income for the Weingart Center, it is important to build businesses that meet the need within the community. By providing services that normally skip over Skid Row, Weingart Center can ensure that residents and businesses spend their money locally and get their needs met.
About the Weingart Center:
Located in the heart of Skid Row, the Weingart Center transforms the lives of Los Angeles’s homeless men and women, helping them to break the cycle of homelessness and lead self-sufficient lives by providing on-site transitional housing; case management; substance abuse recovery; mental health treatment; education; workforce development; and other services.
Tailored programs are available for veterans, people on parole, individuals recovering from substance abuse, and women. The Weingart Center incorporated as a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization in 1984, and is a premier agency of its kind in the West and a model for the nation. Visit www.weingart.org for more information.
About the Corporation for National and Community Service and the Social Innovation Fund:
The Social Innovation Fund is an initiative of the Corporation for National Community Service that improves the lives of people in low-income US communities. Through an innovative public-private partnership, the Social Innovation Fund and selected local and national grantmakers co-invest in programs that increase the scale of community-based solutions that have evidence of real impact in the areas of youth development, economic opportunity or health futures. Every Federal dollar invested is matched with private funds, and all programs are rigorously evaluated. As a result, the most effective approaches can be expanded to reach more people in need and key lessons can be captured and broadly hared. To learn more visit: www.NationalService.gov/Innovation
About REDF
REDF is a California-based venture philanthropy organization dedicated to transforming lives through the creation of jobs and economic opportunity. REDF provides funding and business assistance to a carefully selected portfolio of nonprofit enterprises that employ young people disconnected from school and work, and adults who are overcoming chronic poverty, homelessness, criminal history, substance abuse or mental illness. Since 1997, REDF has partnered with nonprofit organizations that have pioneered the creation of social enterprise, helping them expand their enterprises, achieve sustainable success, and measure the positive impact of their work on people and communities. REDF has helped employ more than 5,700 people in the San Francisco Bay Area and is supported by the generous contributions of individuals, corporations, and foundations. For more information, visit www.REDF.org
Contact:
Helen Machado 202 225-1766
