The Mental Health Department at Homeboy Industries is as innovative as the agency itself, providing trauma-informed clinical services uniquely designed to meet the complex needs of our clients.
Homeboy clients carry life histories marked by poverty, family and street violence, marginalization and intergenerational abuse and neglect. As a result of incarceration experiences, they face additional challenges presented by institutionalization, discrimination, “no place to call home,” negligible work history, and criminal records which preclude even hopes of employment. We stand in awe of what our clients carry, rather than sitting in judgment of how they carry it.
The importance of building trust and an individualized approach that doesn’t follow any kind of specific protocol. We do whatever works to create a safe and comforting space for the client.
Always an Open Door
Fajima Bedran, director of Mental Health Services, has a door that’s always open. “Many of our clients experience what we call complex, or developmental, trauma. In addition to experiencing childhood trauma, they have experienced multiple traumas, throughout their lives.
Transformation Story
Meet Emily
“I’d been using since I was 15 years old, and this is the longest I’ve ever been sober in my life. I got clean once before, but it was only for 3 years before I relapsed. Being able to double that and celebrate 6 years sober this year has meant a lot.”
