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A Los Angeles-based program that has helped rehabilitate hundreds of former gang members for more than 30 years is venturing into new territory to expand opportunities for participants.
Homeboy Industries, the nonprofit that operates Homegirl Cafe and offers a number of services including tattoo removal, substance abuse assistance and educational services, has entered the electronics recycling field. This is the 14th social enterprise launched by the organization and serves as a means for clients to gain practical experience and learn new skills.
Bill Deliman, director of marketing and business development for Homeboy Industries, said:
At the recycling plant, workers test whether the equipment they are given is potentially functional. Devices that are still working are tested, repaired, and certified for quality. Once the checklist is completed, your gadget will be listed for sale with warranty.
“We want to be able to provide affordable technology to people,” Deliman said. “So making technology affordable gives people the opportunity to connect with the world.”
Devices that cannot be refurbished will be stripped of their parts and responsibly disposed of by an authorized vendor.
“There’s hundreds of pounds of plastic and circuitry in here,” said Frankie Valdez, test and repair supervisor.
Mr Deliman said the social enterprise would not only facilitate sales at affordable prices, but also bring employment to people facing systemic barriers.
Jose Echeverría, a prep trainer who works at an electronic recycling plant, said he is proof of that. He said his childhood led him to a juvenile detention center by the age of 12, followed by prison, gang life and decades on the streets before he found Homeboy Industries.
“I felt very at home,” Echeverria said. “What I received was probably the feeling I was looking for all my childhood.”
He currently balances work and studying social work at university while volunteering at a treatment center.
“Those are the things that I took away from Homeboys and I’m really proud that I did this, you know what I mean,” he said. “I completely turned my life around and left the gang life and everything behind. I just wanted to do better for myself and give myself a chance for once.”
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