Los Angeles has won a $6 million state Proposition 47 grant to help former prison inmates gain jobs, Mayor Eric Garcetti announced on June 8.
The grant from the Board of State and Community Corrections will go to Garcetti’s Office of Reentry and is part of a program that puts cost savings from Prop 47 into programs to reduce recidivism.
Prop 47 changed some crimes from felonies to misdemeanors in an effort to reduce prison overcrowding.
“Los Angeles is the city of second chances — and people who have served time and are returning home deserve the opportunity to rebuild their lives, earn a good living, and break the cycle of incarceration and recidivism,” Garcetti said. `
“My Office of Reentry works to support justice-involved individuals by creating opportunities for employment, and this grant will help us do even more to bring families and communities back together.”
The BSCC was allocated a total of $103 million to support reentry programs.
“We are thrilled to be one of the public agencies selected to receive this coveted funding,” said Kimberley Guillemet, Garcettis reentry manager.
“We worked hard to develop a proposal that would provide wrap-around services for our formerly incarcerated community members and providing them with the services they need in some of the areas they need it most post- release: employment, behavioral health, mentorship, legal services, among others,” she said.
