LOS ANGELES (CNS) – Just over 200 homeless people in Los Angeles County can receive paid training and other job assistance via $1.78 million in Measure A funds, officials said Tuesday.
The county’s Department of Economic Opportunity is reopening enrollment for its LA:RISE program, or Los Angeles Regional Initiative for Social Enterprise.
Launched by the city of Los Angeles in 2015, with the county joining in 2018, the program provides paid transitional employment, job training, personalized case management and supportive services delivered by seven so- called “employment social enterprises,” in collaboration with America’s Job Centers of California.
DEO officials cited a demand for skilled labor across several sectors such as green construction and infrastructure, transportation and logistics, the care economy and the digital and creative sectors.
The program is being changed this round to be more aligned with its commitments to job quality, economic mobility and community equity, according to the DEO.
County officials have awarded contracts with seven organizations: Downtown Women’s Center, Managed Career Solutions, Antelope Valley Partners for Health, Chrysalis, Center for Employment Opportunities, Coalition for Responsible Community Development and Goodwill of Southern California.
The partners will provide 202 participants with industry-based training, up to 300 of work hours, unpaid work with so-called high-road employers, and job retention and advancement support.
During and after the program, participants receive supportive services, including transportation, work equipment and clothes, as well as financial and digital literacy and post-program hiring support.
“LA:RISE is about creating real pathways to stability and opportunity for Angelenos who have been historically excluded from the workforce while at the same time meeting the skills needs of high-road employers across the county,” said Kelly LoBianco, director of the county’s DEO.
To be eligible for the jobs program, applicants must meet the following criteria:
— be experiencing homelessness, formerly homeless, or at risk of homelessness;
— be a Los Angeles County resident;
— be 18 years of age or older;
— be unemployed or underemployed; and
— express interest in long-term employment and be willing to work at least 300 hours with one of the seven organizations.
More information on the program is available at opportunity.lacounty.gov/larise.
Funding for the program comes from Measure A, a 2024-voter approved sales tax to address homelessness.
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