Mayor & City Officials Learn: We Placed 476 Homeless in Jobs

“476” was the theme at the Weingart Center’s annual Legislators Day event Thursday, October 13, the number highlighting the Center’s success in connecting 476 homeless men and women with jobs in 2011.
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and more than a dozen city and statewide elected officials came together for the Weingart Center’s annual Legislators Day where lawmakers toured the Skid Row facility in downtown Los Angeles and observed the comprehensive human services programs offered.

“The Weingart Center has many of the same goals as our elected leaders: we seek to increase investment into our community, reduce the number of people living on the street, and develop a strong workforce,” said the Center’s CEO and former state Senator Kevin Murray. “We are more than just a meal and a cot – we have invested $7 million in our campus services in the last two years and successfully placed 476 men and women in jobs.”
Mayor Villaraigosa noted that “many of the people on Skid Row have not had a job for years. The fact that the Weingart Center was able to secure 476 jobs and change lives in the way that they have is a testament to the great work that they do.”

The annual event showcased programs which provide housing, education, workforce development and job placement assistance to help homeless individuals enhance their earning potential and successfully re-enter the community.

Guests toured the facility and came away impressed and with a different perspective on the programs and services provided by the Weingart Center.

“I’m shocked,” said one visitor. “I thought all you did was warehouse people.”

Also attending the event were Los Angeles City Attorney Carmen Trutanich, Los Angeles City Council members Jan Perry, Herb Wesson and Tom LaBonge along with state Senator Kevin de Leon. Aides to federal, state, county and city elected officials plus community and business leaders also attended the event.