BMO Donates $1 Million to Help Homeboy Industries Expand Los Angeles Workforce Development and Training Center

LOS ANGELES, Sept. 25, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - BMO today announced a $1 million donation to Homeboy Industries, a world-renowned gang intervention, rehabilitation and re-entry program that has been serving the Los Angeles area for over 35 years. BMO's donation will support the nonprofit organization's programs and the regional expansion of its workforce development and training hub, including programs at its new Youth Re-entry Center in the Boyle Heights neighborhood in Los Angeles.

"BMO's partnership with Homeboy Industries brings us one step closer to bridging the economic and equity gap for individuals in the Los Angeles area," said Kimberley Goode, Chief Communications and Social Impact Officer, BMO. "We are proud to support the expansion of Homeboy Industries' workforce development and training hub, to help thousands of people seeking opportunities to change their lives and become productive members of the community. Together we can help provide resources for men, women and youth who have been marginalized and drive progress towards an equitable and thriving economy."

The funding will also support Homeboy Industries' Global Homeboy Network, a program that provides a blueprint for nearly 400 organizations and social enterprises around the world that are working to create therapeutic communities through job skills training, cost-free programs and services, and social enterprise employment. In addition to the financial donation, BMO employees will volunteer their time to provide financial literacy education, job skills training and mentorship. They will also provide academic, career and college readiness support at the Youth Re-entry Center.

"BMO's generous support will engage thousands of former gang members each year from across Los Angeles who come through Homeboy Industries' doors seeking to better their lives," said Father Greg Boyle, Founder of Homeboy Industries. "It's clear to me that BMO is serious about being a positive and engaged force in our community."

"This partnership with BMO supports the expansion of our programs and impact at a time when we are helping more people in more ways than ever," said Thomas Vozzo, CEO of Homeboy Industries. "We are grateful. This means more quality jobs for people for whom employment has been challenging. It also allows us to cast a wider net, sharing our model as we work with other organizations and individuals, advocating for marginalized populations, breaking the cycles of recidivism, and creating alternatives to incarceration." 

BMO will also sponsor and participate in Homeboy Industries' Global Homeboy Network Gathering, Lo Máximo Awards and Gala, and the annual Homeboy 5K Walk/Run.

This donation is part of BMO's more than $40 billion Community Benefits Plan. The series of commitments address key barriers to economic inclusion by supporting and investing in communities and organizations across the United States.

Helping communities thrive by supporting the organizations that sustain them and encouraging employee giving and volunteerism is at the heart of BMO's Purpose, to Boldly Grow the Good in business and life.  In 2022, our social impact included more than $69 million donated to hundreds of charities and non-profit organizations across North America to help drive progress by enabling individuals to thrive and communities to prosper. Our colleagues spent almost 50,000 hours volunteering in the community and contributed more than $26 million of donations through our annual employee giving program.  For more information, please visit BMO.com.

BMO Financial Group is the eighth largest bank in North America by assets, with total assets of $1.25 trillion as of July 31, 2023. Serving customers for 200 years and counting, BMO is a diverse team of highly engaged employees providing a broad range of personal and commercial banking, wealth management, global markets and investment banking products and services to over 13 million customers across Canada, the United States, and in select markets globally. Driven by a single purpose, to Boldly Grow the Good in business and life, BMO is committed to driving positive change in the world, and making progress for a thriving economy, sustainable future, and inclusive society.

Homeboy Industries is the largest gang intervention, rehabilitation, and reentry program in the world. Annually, the nonprofit welcomes nearly 8,000 people who are seeking services and support. An additional 10,000 people come as visitors who experience the exquisite mutuality of the community. Homeboy has an internationally recognized reentry program for formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated adults and youth focused on healing from complex trauma. In addition to providing comprehensive wrap around social services, Homeboy Industries provides job training and quality jobs through its 11 social enterprises. Homeboy Industries provides healing and alternatives to gang life, creating more inclusive, safer and healthier communities. Through the Global Homeboy Network, Homeboy Industries engages with hundreds of like-minded organizations around the world providing technical assistance to foster a paradigm of social change rooted in radical kinship and a commitment to standing with those on the margins. https://homeboyindustries.org

Media Contacts:
Emily Iwan, BMO, [email protected]
Nadia Gonzalez, Homeboy Industries, [email protected]

SOURCE BMO Financial Group