Changemakers LA Podcast: Upward Mobility for the Reentry Population
Senior Program Officers Shona Sen and Stephen Salazar Ceasar host this Changemakers LA podcast episode covering organizations helping formerly incarcerated Angelenos navigate life after incarceration with support to find public services and pathways to highroad careers. Our guests represent the leaders of organizations implementing innovative approaches to helping the formerly incarcerated reconnect to the world that has changed so much during their incarceration.
Joining LISC LA for this conversation are:
- Roberto Luca, Director of Mass Liberation
- Semaje Stinson, Vocational Counselor with Asian Pacific Islander Drug Abuse Program
- Adewale Ogunbadejo, Vice President of Workforce Development at GRID Alternatives
Roberto Luca discussed Mass Liberation's role in helping the formerly incarcerated transition to civilian life. He provides detailed examples of the support needed and how crucial it is to have this support post incarceration.
Semaje Stinson provides insight into the different ways policy impacts his work. He also discusses the challenges and opportunities his clients face navigating career pathways.
Adewale Ogunbadejo describes the importance of eco-systems thinking and leveraging partnerships in achieving the most optimal outcome. He discusses the importance of a just transition and how his organization creates multi-generational economic security.
About our panel:
Semaje Stinson is the Vocational Counselor for the reentry population at the West Adams Worksource Center, also known as the employment access unit of the Asian American Drug Abuse Program. The Asian American Drug Abuse Program (AADAP) is an organization that was founded over forty years ago, during one hot summer when 31 Asian American youth died of drug overdoses. The organization continues to support Asian Pacific Islanders and other historically excluded communities, including the reentry community, through a “whole person” approach to education, intervention, treatment, outreach, advocacy, and employment programs.
Adewale Ogunbadejo is the workforce development manager at GRID Alternatives. GRID Alternatives is a nonprofit with a vision for a successful transition to clean, renewable energy that includes everyone. Adewale's work focuses on renewable technologies and developing green career pathways in traditionally underserved communities. He has worked with Coalition for Responsible Community Development to implement a solar training program specifically for individuals in the reentry population.
Roberto Luca is a proud Angeleno who grew up in the Pico-Union neighborhood. When he was still a teen, he was caught up in the wave of violence, gangs, and police brutality that plagued LA County for over a decade. During his 28 years of incarceration, Roberto became skilled at facilitation, leadership, and curriculum development. He has worked in housing, vocational development, and educational programs. He brings a vast knowledge of opportunities for returning citizens and a tenacious approach to his work in helping individuals carry out their unique plans for their lives post-incarceration.
Want to dive into the full transcript? Check it out below!
Stephen Salazar Ceasar 00:07
Hello everyone, and welcome to the latest episode of the Changemakers LA podcast, presented by LISC LA! The Changemakers LA podcast is a tribute to the people and the policies that make LA neighborhoods good places to live, work, and play.
Stephen Salazar Ceasar 00:21
This is Stephen Salazar Caesar and I'm a senior program officer at LISC LA, managing our alternatives to incarceration work. I’m joined here by my colleague, Shona.
Shona Sen 00:31
Thanks, Stephen. My name is Shona Sen, and I’m a senior program officer with LISC LA, and I manage our workforce development work. I'm thrilled to be a part of this conversation today.
Shona Sen 00:42
On today's episode, we will talk to our guests about how they're helping the re-entry population access career pathways. Joining us today, we have Semaje Stinson from Asian American Drug Abuse Program or AADAP.
Shona Sen 00:55
We have Adewale Ogunbadejo from Grid Alternatives and Roberto Luca from Mass Liberation. We're thrilled to have three guests that work directly to help people find stability, build skills and achieve careers; not just jobs as they return home. Thank you all for being here.
Stephen Salazar Ceasar 01:14
Thank you, Shona. So for our listeners to get a sense of what it's like for someone to come home from incarceration, and the often difficult path they face in finding a career.
Stephen Salazar Ceasar 01:23
We designed this conversation to highlight a few different stages in that process, including the initial release, the process towards stability, and the skill-building required for people who might have been away for a long time. And finally, the point at which someone actually sets forth in their career.
Stephen Salazar Ceasar 01:40
One thing we'll highlight here, often, what is lost in these sorts of conversations is that while there is a huge focus on the challenges the system causes people to navigate. We often lose side of the experience, perspective, and drive that so many formally incarcerated people bring to the table. So while we'll highlight the hard parts. We're also going to highlight those positive characteristics of an often misunderstood population.
Stephen Salazar Ceasar 02:01
To walk people through it. First, the person is released. And so often people feel they need to immediately find a job or any job to provide in order to feel like they're contributing. Meanwhile, there's a lot of work to be done to heal and find a measure of stability.
Stephen Salazar Ceasar 02:17
To touch on this is Roberto Luca, who is a program manager and citizen coach at Mass Liberation. An organization based in Torrance that works to educate and empower returning citizens with holistic evidence-based interventions while engaging all communities to emancipate America from mass incarceration. Thank you to Roberto for being here.
Stephen Salazar Ceasar 02:40
As someone who went through this yourself, and now works day in and day out to support people as they come home; sometimes just hours after they've been released. You really work to fight for stability, and make sure that they're working through the emotional, physical, and economic challenges they face.
Stephen Salazar Ceasar 02:59
How do you help those people that come home and are looking for support?
Roberto Luca 03:05
Well, I could literally give you two examples, that happened today, right before we started this podcast.
Roberto Luca 03:19
I had an individual who is thirty-six years old, and he was a returning citizen. He has been home for five days and he was trying to figure out what are his first steps. What is he gonna do for employment? And things like that.
Roberto Luca 03:35
He was right in front of me, and I could tell and he admitted, that he was confused, lost, and scared. The guy you could tell was really very humble, and wants to do the right thing, and go in the right direction.
Roberto Luca 04:02
I had a conversation with him about the different resources that are out there. And what we are capable of doing here for him.
Roberto Luca 04:13
One thing that I've learned is that one organization cannot fill in all the gaps it does take a community. There is a huge need out there for the services that all organizations provide. There are not enough organizations in the world and there are just not enough of us to meet the need.
Roberto Luca 04:33
Sitting down with him. One of the things was that he was scared to get on the bus. Earlier when we picked them up. I had one of our drivers go out to his housing location because he's in transitional housing. Pick him up and bring him to our center. He sat in one of our classes with some of our students.
Roberto Luca 04:45
Today one of the classes we were having was on relationships, and how to have a crucial conversation. How to communicate with your family, and how to start creating some boundaries and things like that. So he sat in that class, and I spoke to him afterward. And one of the things he needed was his EBT card and his benefits.
Roberto Luca 05:21
He said, ‘hey? I don't know how I’m gonna get to the DPSS Office on Grant’. And I told him ‘don't worry about it’. I had one of our drivers come up and one of our former alumni come in and asked them. Hey, come on in
Roberto Luca 05:44
They agreed and said ‘Yeah, we'll take him, and we'll sit in line with him at the DPSS office, and we'll walk him through the process so he can get his things’.
Roberto Luca 06:01
And he then asked, how am I going to get home?
Roberto Luca 06:05
He doesn't know how to navigate Google maps. He doesn't know how to navigate through transportation yet. And I told him, Hey, don't worry about it. We will take you there, and then we'll drop you at home. And we'll pick you up tomorrow morning, so you can come back to the center, and we can continue moving forward and working in the path and direction he wants to go.
Roberto Luca 06:25
That's literally a day one with someone who comes into our center, and who’s been out a week.
Stephen Salazar Ceasar 06:41
The fear of the unknown, of coming home and not knowing how to navigate the different systems, can really complicate a job search that often people want to jump right into.
Stephen Salazar Ceasar 06:53
At Mass Liberation, you help them navigate those basic stability things. How do you get them to that next level where they're ready to go look for a job?
Roberto Luca 07:03
We have a couple of options in classes. We have a vocation and educational classes. And then we also have a four-week re-entry course. Our four-week re-entry course, I call it Life Skills 2.0, and it’s the next level. It's the actual practice of new behaviors. A lot of our long-termers that are coming home have done a lot of work inside as lifers, going to parole hearings, and things like that.
Roberto Luca 07:37
But it's a different process to come out into the world and start practicing these new behaviors because they look a lot different. There's a learning curve to that, and so we work with them. With the fundamentals, not only getting them a job but keeping the job.
Roberto Luca 07:55
That's what we focus on one hundred, it’s talking about the things that may get in the way of their professional development. And those things are, for example, what are their healthy soothing behavior going to look like?
Roberto Luca 08:14
I'm just going to be very transparent because that's how we are here at Mass Liberation. You want to have fun. You've been deprived of human contact. You're going to want to have sex. You're going to want to be able to explore and do new things.
Roberto Luca 08:30
Those things on the academic level are called variety, mastery, and living life on life’s terms. We all want to have those relationships, we all want to love and be loved.
Roberto Luca 08:44
We focus on those things in our four-week curriculum and talk about what our healthy soothing behaviors look like. What does harm reduction look like? How do you stay safe on a date? How do you stay safe when going out and associating with new people? We go over a lot of that and it really gives them the basic fundamentals to begin to empower themselves.
Roberto Luca 09:15
Moving forward in our four-week curriculum, we also have an employment piece. We do a mock interview with them. We do the elevator pitches, etc.
Roberto Luca 09:28
One of the things that we're very good at here is technology. We love technology. We have a technology boot camp that we put them through. They learned how to do Google Sheets, and Google Docs, and how to work their own email accounts.
Roberto Luca 09:46
And that's when the preparation really starts coming in and the hands-on to learn how to create your own resume. We don't want to create a resume for them. We want to empower them to learn how to create their own resume, how to change their resume, and how to update their resume.
Roberto Luca 10:04
That's the learning here that we do and that's the empowerment piece that we practice. Once we've completed that, then we're able to use our network of contacts, whether it be employment companies, employment agencies, or other organizations and providers that do great work. We can refer them to those job sites and job applications, and help them get on their feet and move forward.
Roberto Luca 10:35
Our vocational and educational classes are in partnership with Southwest College. Southwest Community College is here in Los Angeles. And we have a logistics class and a maintenance apartment technician class that we do, in partnership with Southwest College. One is a three-week program. The other one is a six-week program. They go through hands-on training, professional development, how to navigate different situational behaviors at work, how to communicate with their supervisors, how to bring up grievances to their supervisors, and how those crucial conversations look and how they are framed. We try to give them all of the basic fundamentals to move forward into the workplace prepared.
Roberto Luca 11:30
At the end of it, we also have opportunities, because of some great partnerships that we have. I will give them a shout-out, Change Reaction! They're a great partner. We have an angel fund with them, and they give us the opportunity to purchase tools, phones, boots, and uniforms, pay for DUI classes, and support them economically to give them the best opportunity to move forward into the workforce.
Stephen Salazar Ceasar 12:04
Awesome. Thank you. Lastly, my experience working in re-entry both with clients and colleagues is the wealth of strengths that folks have coming out of incarceration. They bring a lot of really excellent qualities in a colleague to the workplace. So can you touch on the strengths that the people you work with bring to the table?
Roberto Luca 12:27
Yeah, you're talking about a population who is hungry to do good. A population who are resilient, motivated, and educated. They are prepared to be reliable, loyal, and hard-working people.
Roberto Luca 12:58
I'll use myself as an example. When I came home my competition was the twenty-year-old kids. All of my supervisors have been younger than me. When I worked at Home Depot, when I worked for Amway, and when I worked for other logistic warehouse companies and construction companies that I started. I was competing with kids. And I used my experience, my maturity, and my drive to get me where I am today.
Roberto Luca 13:32
Earlier in the podcast, you said program manager. Well, I'm the director now, thankfully. It’s been a lot of hard work.
Roberto Luca 13:44
And I'm no different than our return citizen population and re-entry community. That's what we are bringing to the table. Did you hear this slogan? I'm sure you know the slogan.
Roberto Luca 14:00
Make America great again. Well, the re-entry community is going to make America again. Because we're investing in our communities. We're giving back, and we're applying everything that we have learned throughout our lives to make this second chance at life and this experience much richer.
Roberto Luca 14:24
And we also have to build. We have legacies to build. We have families to contribute to and we also have a society to be grateful for.
Roberto Luca 14:37
I'm a taxpayer. I pay a lot of taxes, am I grateful for that, maybe not so much now. (Laughter) But, I know that I am now a contributing factor to my community. And that is what the re-entry community is bringing to the table. And for employers, a returning citizen brings value to your company.
Stephen Salazar Ceasar 15:05
Awesome! Thank you, Roberto, program director at Mass Liberation. I will throw it over to my colleague Shona.
Shona Sen 15:15
Thanks so much, Steven and Roberto. Roberto talked a little bit about the experiences that people who have just been released face when they're coming out of being incarcerated.
Shona Sen 15:30
After going through a number of different and hopefully supportive services and programming. When people are ready, they're looking for a job. And they're looking for a job that not only pays the bills, but also allows for career advancement, gratification, and respect. These are all things I think we all want.
Shona Sen 15:49
Semaje Stinson, who I am joined by today, is a vocational counselor for the Asian American Drug Abuse Program or AADAP. AADAP is an organization that works to support Asian, Pacific Islander, and other historically excluded communities, including the re-entry community through a whole-person approach to education, intervention, treatment, outreach, advocacy, and employment programs. Thank you, Semaje, for joining us today.
Semaje Stinson 16:15
Thank you for having me.
Shona Sen 16:19
Semaje, to level set a bit, could you explain the barriers that you've seen the reentry population face in seeking a career? And how do you at AADAP in turn help to train and support people who are navigating a sometimes hostile job market?
Semaje Stinson 16:38
Yes, some of the barriers I see from individuals who are released from incarceration, that are referred to me, would be a lack of identification. A lack of an I.D., a social security card, birth certificate, resume, transportation, interview clothing, interview skills, and child care.
Semaje Stinson 17:08
These are some of the barriers that I see, and something that not everyone else can see. But, through the lens that I work, I'm able to see the collateral consequences of incarceration.
Semaje Stinson 17:24
These collateral consequences are legal disabilities imposed by law, as a result of a criminal conviction, regardless of whether a convicted individual served any time. And these consequences create social and economic barriers for individuals re-entering society; restricting benefits otherwise available to all Americans.
Semaje Stinson 17:52
I could talk about adoption, housing, welfare, immigration, and property rights. But again, what I specialize in would be employment, and then professional licenses.
Semaje Stinson 18:11
Again, this collectively affects individuals in this population, and it also adds to their recidivating. And that's something that I do, work with my client and assess through an employment plan.
Semaje Stinson 18:31
When we initially meet with them, I look at some of these barriers in my head, and then we discuss their criminal conviction. And we try to find out the job that they used to do and all the experience. Because that's what we focus on here, the abilities, experience, and interests of our clients. If those aligned with what they used to do, and if they still want to do that, then we try to help them. But if their conviction opposes what they used to do then we have to find another route.
Shona Senn 19:16
Thank you so much, Semaje. You mentioned the collateral consequences of incarceration, and that is such a great term. I think that is such an all-encompassing way of saying what some of those barriers might be. It's everything, it's not just employment. I think it's important to remember that there are so many other pieces to this puzzle. While we're talking about employment today, there are so many other things that AADAP is supporting its clients with.
Shona Sen 19:46
What job sector or industries, Semaje, would you say are the most accommodating to the reentry population, just based on your experience? Where do you see your clients have the most success, and why?
Semaje Stinson 20:01
A space that I've begun to work in is construction. Construction and the re-entry population kind of go hand in hand. That's not the only one, but again, that is my favorite. The other one which has been discussed by Roberto was logistics. Logistics is becoming more prevalent.
Semaje Stinson 20:22
And then also I would say, with the lived experience that individuals have, after they are released, becoming a counselor. Being a drug and alcohol counselor, maybe a peer support specialist, or something like that. Those are some of the sectors and entry level positions that I see. And in construction, I could just talk about construction and logistics briefly.
Semaje Stinson 20:52
In construction, you don't have to have a college degree. You can have very few skills. Most of the skills that I have in construction are just knowing how to hammer and knowing how to use a drill.
Semaje Stinson 21:05
Those are skills that will get you on a construction site. Now the issue with construction is the tools and the support. Just giving a brief glimpse, in construction there are union jobs and there are non-union jobs.
Semaje Stinson 21:29
In construction, you want to go union. But again, you do not have to go to a union. In order to get into the union you will need a sponsor. And again, the work that we do here at AADAP is getting a credible employer to sponsor individuals to go into the Union. And it's not as easy as just saying it. There are a number of hoops, jumps, barriers, and red tape we had to go through to work with construction contractors in order to employ our individuals with these little skills.
Semaje Stinson 22:00
And with logistics, it’s another easy entry level sector, where you can just go in by knowing how to move boxes and being able to lift fifty-plus pounds.
Semaje Stinson 22:18
And you can work your way up through that by getting a lean six yellow sigma belt and then you can be a manager. So again these small certifications in construction and logistics you can obtain in less than a year. And again you can enter the workforce in those sectors.
Shona Sen 22:45
That was perfect. Thanks so much. Semaje, you mentioned barriers and red tape that you face in working with employers and different industries. What role does policy advocacy play in this process? Things like the bill AB 1816, for example. Which is the re-entry housing and workforce development program, that wasn't passed this year. Why are bills like that so important to advocate for?
Semaje Stinson 23:14
In the beginning, I didn't think it was so important. I didn't think policy was something I needed to focus on. I just thought the work that I do here, helping people every day was going to do it. But I realized, after working here for a couple of years, that things get done within the State and the city when there are laws created.
Semaje Stinson 23:44
It affects the system. And I feel like the system is broken. So, I think policy is really important. For instance, the bill that was not signed, AB 1816, the re-entry housing and workforce development program. It would have been a program where people get out and they get assistance with finding housing and a job.
Semaje Stinson 24:15
I think, if you are talking about the rehabilitation of the re-entry population, what better services than a house and a job? They're required to have those when they leave, by CDCR, but there is very little help and policy that goes into making it happen. A bill that I think just passed is SB 731.
Semaje Stinson 24:50
It was a bill about post-relief conviction, and I think that's where a lot of work should be focused. Once an individual is released, their criminal record and those collateral consequences no longer affect them. I don't know if you know, but a criminal record stays with you for the rest of your life. Technology is so good and there is data everywhere. So these records and convictions stay with you and they shouldn’t, and they hinder you and they should not. These bills and policies definitely need to happen in order for change to take place.
Shona Sen 25:39
Thank you so much, Semaje. Those bills and policies passing help you do your job better, too. Also, to be able to do your job because there are so many barriers in that process, I'm sure. But thank you for all of the work you do. It was lovely chatting with you. I'm going to pass it back to my colleague, Stephen.
Stephen Salazar Ceasar 25:59
Thank you, Shauna. Now we're at the point where people find a job and are able to actually apply the skills and perspective they've developed. And hopefully have the support of an employer that values their labor and wants them to develop. Adewale Ogunbadejo is the workforce development manager at Grid Alternatives.
Stephen Salazar Ceasar 26:13
Grid Alternatives is a nonprofit with the vision for a successful transition to clean renewable energy that includes everyone. Adewale’s work focuses on renewable technologies and developing green career pathways and historically excluded communities. And he has implemented a solar installation training program specifically for individuals in reentry.
Stephen Salazar Ceasar 26:36
Adewale, your work focuses on what many call a just transition into the green economy, and Grid Alternatives not only welcomes re-entry people into your work but actively sees them out in the system and makes a career out of the skills they learn. Can you tell me why you actively seek out, train, and hire, formerly incarcerated people? And why should other industries do the same?
Adewale Ogunbadejo 26:57
Thank you, Steven. For us, Grid Alternatives is heavily focused on equity, inclusion, and diversity (E.I.D.), and it’s at the center of all of the work we do.
Adewale Ogunbadejo 27:14
When it comes to working with individuals that have been formally incarcerated or justice-involved we take a step back. We look for what is like the historical
Adewale Ogunbadejo 27:27
Circumstances place people where they are today. Not just the individual, but the communities that we serve. And we understand the systems of oppression and a lot of other things that have happened prior. Often, people didn't have a first chance, let alone a second chance. We feel if somebody's served their time and paid their debts to society, they deserve an opportunity just like anybody else.
Adewale Ogunbadejo 27:50
As a solar nonprofit, we support the communities that we serve and help people get to the place where they want to be. Meaning, in terms of turning their lives around and having career opportunities where they are able to take care of themselves and their families.
Stephen Salazar Ceasar 28:09
Thank you. How does your approach differ from other employers in bringing folks that are formally incarcerated in? And what kind of support do you provide? What kinds of training?
Adewale Ogunbadejo 28:24
We work with the community. We don't believe in doing it alone. We believe in a collaborative approach, like the speakers before me Roberto and Semaje. They are partners or collaborators within the ecosystem. They're working with the individuals when they first come out of the system. And getting them ready, providing them with the wrap-around supportive services they need to be whole again, and in order to be successful at work.
Adewale Ogunbadejo 28:54
Roberto said it earlier. It's not about getting the job, It's really about keeping the job. We are a part of the end of the ecosystem. Once they've been provided with the support of wraparound services, then they come to Grid Alternatives. And now they're able to go through our solar training program. We're really focused on technical skills building, where they are learning how to actually install the solar.
Adewale Ogunbadejo 29:24
We have individuals with lived experiences within our organization. By the time they go through the complete ecosystem, they're ready to apply for a job. They're not just ready because they've done some training. They're ready because they've addressed all of those different barriers that needed to be addressed before they could move into employment or a career opportunity. What makes us different from a lot of employers is that we look at it really holistically.
Adewale Ogunbadejo 29:43
We're community-based and community informed, and we try to do everything through an equity, inclusion, and diversity lens. It informs not only how we do our work internally, but also how we approach the communities we work with externally,
Adewale Ogunbadejo 30:01
We want our organization to be reflective of the communities that we serve. Whether we're training people. Whether people are working for the organization. Whether we are preparing people to go out and work with other companies or organizations outside of Grid. The philosophy is all the same at the core.
Stephen Salazar Ceasar 30:21
Excellent, Thank you. With that success, how do you leverage what you're doing and the success you're seeing to push other companies to do what you're doing in hiring returning citizens? And not just hiring, but also paying them a competitive wage that allows them to build a career out of it. How do you push others to do the same?
Adewale Ogunbadejo 30:43
To Shona’s question earlier and to Semaje’s response, the policy is important.
Adewale Ogunbadejo 30:49
When it comes to advocating for family-sustaining wages. That a lot of times has to happen at the policy level. But I think, it's also the responsibility of the local community-based organizations to come together and make a push. From a training standpoint you have to ask, how can we make sure that we're doing our job in terms of program and service delivery? So we are helping to prepare individuals as best as possible to be the best they can be when they're walking into employment opportunities.
Adewale Ogunbadejo 31:20
If they're prepared then they will succeed, and not only get the job, but they'll be able to move up through the ladders as time goes on. And that will help them to also increase wages.
Adewale Ogunbadejo 31:31
The reason that we're in the clean energy sector, is that we know that the clean energy transition is happening. It's exploding right now, as you can see, by the Inflation Reduction Act. Over three hundred and sixty billion dollars of investment is going into clean energy. We believe this is a sector where there are going to be a lot of employment opportunities, for the next decade-plus and the foreseeable future.
Adewale Ogunbadejo 32:10
We know there has to be a transition, because of climate change. So it's really a great feel for individuals coming out, that really want to give back to the community. They will not only have economic benefits but also environmental benefits while being able to do the work that they do. So it really keeps them motivated, but it's also tied to economic opportunity.
Adewale Ogunbadejo 32:38
One of the things Grid is focusing on now is teaching people how to be workers. As well as working with individuals with an entrepreneurial spirit, as many do from the communities we serve. A lot of trainees that have come through our training program over the years now have their own contractors license, their C10s and C46s.
Adewale Ogunbadejo 32:55
So we ask, how can we look at it from an ecosystem standpoint? And not only train workers but also work with individuals that are starting their own businesses. And what kind of support can we put in place for them? Because we know if their businesses grow, they're going to come back and hire trainees from the same system they came out of. It's really looking at things holistically.
Adewale Ogunbadejo 33:25
It's about policy, advocacy, and collaboration, because, there is strength in numbers. The three organizations here, four if you include LISC, all pushing and advocating for family-sustaining wages and removing policies that put up unnecessary barriers, for formally incarcerated and justice-involved individuals. Then we're able to move the meter forward.
Adewale Ogunbadejo 33:52
Staying within the community, being on the ground, and working with community partners to really move the agenda forward, is what makes a difference.
Stephen Salazar Ceasar 34:06
Excellent. Thank you so much for your perspective on that. Something else I wanted to ask, in LA County at least, there's a sort of unprecedented investment in alternatives to incarceration right now. But not just in that space, there are also environmental projects, water capture projects, and housing projects all across the county.
Stephen Salazar Ceasar 34:29
And often there's talk from the government about investing in communities that were most impacted by the War On Drugs, three-strike laws, and that sort of thing. But often, what gets lost in the shuffle is the re-entry population, the people that actually went away for this stuff are lost in the mix. And so, when people are thinking of these projects, and how to engage with this population. How do you recommend they make sure the re-entry population and folks that we're most impacted are not just an afterthought, but actually engaged in the planning, implementation, and reaping the benefits of these large investment projects?
Adewale Ogunbadejo 35:09
Yeah, that's a great question. I think it takes partners. Who is at the government level that we need to engage with? From a local standpoint, from an individual to a community-based organization standpoint. Who are our representatives? What is it that we want to advocate for? In order to make sure that the message is clear in what we're advocating for. It takes togetherness.
Adewale Ogunbadejo 35:40
Once the policies are in place, then you have the implementers. And knowing who the implementers are, and who are the ones really doing the work in the community. When we first got into this work, back in 2010, I remember being able to work with Homeboy Industries, and that meant so much to us as an organization. At that time we were really small, and we were moving from Carson into the city of Los Angeles. We didn't have much of a presence, but we wanted to do the work.
Adewale Ogunbadejo 36:14
Homebody Industries was gracious enough to open their doors to us. And over the years we have been able to partner and collaborate in a number of ways. And we have been able to tap into some of the government funding that you were talking about. For example, the California Community Reinvestment Grant, was focused on serving individuals impacted by the War on Drugs. It provided us with funding for two years initially, and we were able to serve thirty-six individuals over that two-year period.
Adewale Ogunbadejo 36:44
Homeboy was able to serve another one hundred plus with supportive wraparound services. But had those policies not come down in the first place or had somebody not advocated for the policy? Then the money wouldn't come down for us to then join Homeboy Industries, and apply for this money that would help us serve individuals from the communities that we serve. It's working with partners like Homeboy Industry. It’s good to meet Roberto today with Mass Liberation and I definitely want to know more about the organization.
Adewale Ogunbadejo 37:18
Over the years, we have worked with West Adams’ work source. I hope I'm not saying it too much, but it's the ecosystem. The ecosystem, the partners, and knowing who are the stakeholders at the various levels that we need to engage in, so that we can move the needle.
Stephen Salazar Ceasar 37:35
Awesome. Thank you, Adewale. As I mentioned, we also want to focus on the positive stuff. And so this is for each of you. We want to hear some success stories. Tell us about a client or a colleague who is out there doing the work day in and day out to successfully transition, become economically stable, get that career, and get moving. I'll go to Roberto first. Is there a success that you want to share with us?
Roberto Luca 38:03
Oh man, where do I start? That's what keeps me in this business. I call it a business, but it is my passion, my love, my care, and my community. This is Los Angeles, and we're an awesome community, and what makes us unique is our diversity.
Roberto Luca 38:28
I hope to get to live another fifty years because I want to see the change from the momentum that we have. But I'll give you a great story. His name is Jordan.
Roberto Luca 38:42
Mr. Jordan came to us after serving over thirty years incarcerated, close to forty. He was sixty-seven when he got out. Never touched a cell phone and never touched a computer. He came to us after being released from prison into our transition house that we have in Wilmington. We are very fortunate that we have a great house in a nice residential area where it is safe.
Roberto Luca 39:24
And the questions are that he's sixty-seven years old, and has been in prison for over thirty years. We are thinking, okay, what are we going to do? How are we going to get him going? Where's his retirement plan going to come from? How is his transportation going to work? Where is he going to live? How are these things going to happen to Mr. Jordan?
Roberto Luca 39:55
And he stayed with us for a little over a year. But, in that year he began with a number of odd jobs. He went through our four-week re-entry class, and we showed him how to use the computer and how to use his phone enough to get by.
Roberto Luca 40:10
And then he himself, after gaining the ability to use technology, was able to get a car loan through a program we have with Change Reaction. He was able to get a little car and was able to navigate the city a little better and get around places. He enrolled in the Metro training program with Los Angeles. And a few months ago, he graduated.
Roberto Luca 40:48
He is driving a bus as I speak. He moved out of our transitional housing unit into his own one-bedroom apartment. Which is very nice by the way. I was very jealous. He lives in Inglewood, near the Stadium. He has bought a new car. He's living on his own. He's driving metro buses for our community. And he's now sixty-eight years old. He's doing amazing.
Roberto Luca 41:33
He's really one of those old-school types of guys and still wears a hat. When I see him I think he came out of like a seventies movie, because he's always dressed sharply. But he did it. He did it.
Roberto Luca 41:54
I get emotional because here's this man in his sixties who has finally created a life for himself. It’s amazing to see. He also just published a book on Amazon. It’s a book of poems that he wrote while he was in prison. So yeah, it doesn't get any better than that. That's my success story.
Stephen Salazar Ceasar 42:35
That's beautiful. I'm over here with chills and tears. Thank you. That was a lovely story. I hope to meet him one day.
Roberto Luca 42:43
Yes, we will have him on your podcast.
Stephen Salazar Ceasa 42:48
Semaje, how about you? Do you have a success story?
Semaje Stinson 42:51
Yes. I feel like Roberto is able to see all the ins and outs. And you can tell from his organization, that he is on the front lines and doing the work. He may not go inside the prison, but again he gets them right out of prison. Whereas, I get them referred to me by their parole officer, or from where they're staying. So I don't have that hands-on insight, but I do have numerous stories. The one that is actually on my brain right now is the gentleman that I have been working with since two thousand nineteen.
Semaje Stinson 43:38
His name is Ten. When he first came to me, he was telling me his story. And he's an individual who was told that he would be serving life without the possibility of parole.
Semaje Stinson 43:57
He got out, and of course, when he came to me he had everything he wanted to do. Lifers, have spent too much time waiting and sitting. So as soon as he got out he had a plan. He had a plan like here it is Semaje. This is what I need you to help me with. Of course, some of the biggest things were getting him out of his re-entry facility. Once he got out, he could meet me more.
Semaje Stinson 44:40
Then, we were working on supportive services like clothes and working in our blueprint for workplace success. I was able to meet with him for a week straight and go through a whole training with him. And he said, hey Semaje, I'm enrolled in school and I'm trying to get my PhD. Just let me know what I have to do. And so he did that, and he was volunteering for an organization. One of his passions is working with animals, so he did that.
Semaje Stinson 45:19
And then he found another avenue in the work that we do as counselors. He is currently the immigration supervisor for this organization, where they work with immigrants who are released from incarceration. Which is his same story.
Semaje Stinson 45:43
Again, he is the supervisor. He just got the job, about two weeks ago so I'm still helping him. I still say, hey, I have resources for you. So that's just one individual who had a life without the possibility of parole, and now he's on his way to getting his PhD.
Semaje Stinson 46:19
Another individual I'm thinking of is Mr. Raul. Raul was one of the first people I helped into construction. Again, he came to me and said, “Hey, I'm making nineteen dollars at a warehouse. I'm tired of doing this. Send me over to the Operators Engineers Union. Let me do it. I'm ready. I just need you to pay my dues, and I'll do it”. And now he's making fifty-plus dollars as a machine operator. Knowing how to drive and use any machine on that construction site. So those are just two people I'm thinking of right now that, again, I've worked with in over three plus years. They had a plan, and I was just trying to assist and be of service.
Stephen Salazar Ceasar 46:58
Wow, thank you Semaje. They're lucky to have someone like you advocating for them and giving them support. Okay, Adewale, bring us home. Do you have a success story?
Adewale Ogunbadejo 47:07
Yeah, definitely. I just want to say to Roberto, your story man, I could feel the passion. And that's definitely what has me coming back year after year. I've been with the organization for going on my thirteenth year, and it's longer than I've ever worked anywhere in my life.
Adewale Ogunbadejo 47:27
But it was because each year there was something that brought me back. There is nothing more fulfilling than when somebody comes up to you, and you can see the change that has happened, and how happy they are. When they thank you it definitely warms you up, and it makes you want to come back and do more. Because you know the work that you do has an impact.
Adewale Ogunbadejo 47:51
It's making a difference, and it's making a change in our communities. Two I would mention, this because there have been so many over the years. One individual was a lifer, like what has been mentioned here. He came out and went through our training program, and is one of our top trainees. He went on to work for a mid-level company, and he's been there for almost three years, if I am remembering correctly.
Adewale Ogunbadejo 48:24
His daughter was so proud of him that she came to the program. He called and said I want to get my daughter into the program. His daughter was a college student. She was so proud of her father for doing what he did and for taking that step, that she joined the program. Then he called us back, and said, I need to get my two sons off the couch. So he got his two sons in the program, and it became a whole family thing.
Adewale Ogunbadejo 48:53
That was impactful in itself. But, there's a young man who came to us, probably about six or seven years ago. And he's a change-maker in himself. He's done amazing things, but when he was younger he made some pretty bad mistakes. He got him in a lot of trouble, and he had to sit down for a couple of years. He was fortunate to get out.
Adewale Ogunbadejo 49:18
He went to Conservation Core Long Beach, and that was the beginning of his transformation. At the time we partnered with Conservation Core Long Beach to provide solar training for youth. He went through that program, our internship, and then he went through a year-long fellowship with us. And then he started working for a solar company.
Adewale Ogunbadejo 49:43
I remember walking with him from our office, which is very close to Los Angeles Trade Technical College, to enroll him in the college. And just last year I was able to go to his graduation.
Adewale Ogunbadejo 49:56
For me, that was like, Wow! This is amazing. Now he's one of the lead administrators at Pacific Gateway in Long Beach. And he's helping to impact young people, like him, trying to prevent them from getting into the same trouble he got into as a youth.
Adewale Ogunbadejo 50:23
People are ready to do the right thing, they just need the opportunity and access. And it's amazing to see what happens when that is there for them. Thank you.
Stephen Salazar Ceasar 50:38
Thank you. Thank you all for sharing your stories. It's impactful. It's emotional. I'm sure it’s rewarding and also very difficult for all of you. It's a tough job but you put in the work, and you get to see the successes. So thank you for sharing and thank you for being with us today Roberto, Adewale, and Semaje.
Stephen Salazar Ceasar 50:59
I’m sure I speak for Shonaas well, and we're very thankful to have you as colleagues and friends. I appreciate knowing you're out there doing it every day, so thank you.
Shona Sen 51:18
Thank you all so much for being here with us this afternoon. I think each of you plays such a critical piece in this puzzle. You do such impactful work. It's been such an honor and privilege to hear more about the work that you're doing on a day-to-day basis to really help re-entry communities successfully have full lives after being incarcerated.
Shona Sen 51:48
This episode of Changemakers L.A. was made possible by our sponsor, the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation.
Shona Sen 51:52
If you would like to learn more about how we support place-based initiatives for housing and economic development at LISC LA, please visit us online at www.LISC.org/Los-Angeles. And follow us on Twitter @LISC_LA.
Shona Sen 52:02
You can find the rest of the series on iTunes, Spotify, and Google podcasts. Subscribe to hear more conversations about the people and places that shape Los Angeles.
Shona Sen 52:15
This podcast was produced in collaboration with Ronnell Hampton, founder of Growing Greatness Now. Growing Greatness Now is a consulting firm committed to social and environmental justice.
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