Los Angeles Mission Workforce Center for Unhoused Individuals

Access to tech and creative industry employment

Expand existing project, program, or initiative (expanding and continuing ongoing, successful work)

As an established nonprofit organization (since 1936), LA Mission is experienced in and committed to providing intensive treatment for homeless, poor, and destitute individuals affected by substance use and related issues. Los Angeles Mission breaks the cycle of homelessness and poverty, by stabilizing people in a safe and spiritual environment, connecting them to solutions and walking with them on their journey.
The Los Angeles Mission is committed to providing intensive treatment for homeless, poor, and destitute individuals affected by substance use and related issues—with a focus on people of color. Our primary service population is comprised of 30% Latino; 50% Black; 10% Asian/Pacific Islander, and 7% mixed- race individuals. These clients present a myriad of health, social, and economic concerns unique to their situations—ranging from chronic health conditions to family estrangement, divorce, debt, and legal judgments.

Trauma Informed Job Placement LA Mission maintains written policies and procedures for trauma-informed care, by which all staff are trained to understand trauma and to deliver care as per the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Trauma and Justice Strategic Initiative standards. LA Mission attends to the three "E’s" of trauma: events, experiences, and effects. In its trauma-informed systems, experiences and behaviors are understood in the context of coping and survival strategies.
Populations served will be people experiencing homelessness residing in Los Angeles—including persons of color and those suffering from co-occurring SUDs, mental health disorders, trauma, repeat arrests, and incarcerations. Due to their criminal records and behavioral health conditions, clients from our service population are also those with extreme difficulty in obtaining permanent housing, employment, and general upward mobility.

The Los Angeles Mission (LA Mission) is committed to providing intensive treatment for homeless, poor, and destitute individuals affected by substance use and related issues—with a focus on people of color. Our primary service population is comprised of 30% Latino; 50% Black; 10% Asian/Pacific Islander, and 7% mixed- race individuals. Upon admission, nearly 90% of LA Mission clients exhibit symptoms of trauma due to violence, foster care experienced, childhood abuse, and/or sex work, in addition to trauma related to substance use and homelessness.
Job placement services are provided based on a thorough assessment of client interests and aptitude, educational attainment, and work history. Referral arrangements with local vocational/community college programs are used, with remedial education and skills training offered to secure entry-level employment. To ensure clients retain and advance in their jobs, a one-year continuum of services is offered. Annual career fairs are also held.

The evaluation processes begin by collecting outcome and descriptive data that support longitudinal comparisons from entry to exit at each service. The job placement evaluation entails a review of service users based on the descriptive data compiled on clients. This data is then cross-tabulated by the services received—ranging from job readiness to job placement and completion rates. While success is the ultimate goal, those that do not complete it can inform the model and client selection for future trained cohorts. We subsequently look at our profile for enrolled clients and examine if their success or failure is related to s age, gender, education, mental health, substance use history, or other variables influencing job readiness and employment success. We aim to sustain the current level of client success in job placements, and should there be a drop in attainment, we review all components and speak with clients and staff to understand why this has occurred.