The California Board of State and Community Corrections (BSCC) has approved a $6 million grant to be awarded to Playa Vista Job Opportunities & Business Services (PVJOBS) as part of a statewide effort to break the cycle of violence, gang activity and recidivism in at-risk communities. PVJOBS will utilize the funds to expand its services to those with barriers to employment due to such at-risk factors as a history with the justice system and gang involvement.
The grant was awarded through BSCC’s California Violence Intervention and Prevention Program (CalVIP) and will be allocated to PVJOBS over a three-year period. During this term, PVJOBS will be responsible for utilizing the funds to expand its job training and placement program that helps at-risk individuals ultimately lead economically self-sufficient lives.
“On behalf of our board, staff and community of supporters, we at PVJOBS are overjoyed to receive this $6 million grant that will enable us to significantly increase our services to local at-risk communities,” said PVJOBS Executive Director Mary Taylor. “For nearly 25 years, our work at PVJOBS has proven to make a lasting impact on the lives of those who’ve been locked out of the job market due to their past. This tremendous grant will help us further reduce violence and recidivism in South L.A. by allowing us to grow our evidence-based practices of giving at-risk individuals a way out of their past by creating a steady pathway to a career.”
The CalVIP Grant Program was established by the State Legislature in 2017 to provide funding for cities and community-based organizations with the goal of reducing violence in their cities and adjacent areas. According to the Break the Cycle of Violence Act (AB 1603) that was signed by Governor Newsom in 2019, the Act specifies that CalVIP grants shall be used to support, expand and replicate evidence-based violence reduction initiatives that seek to interrupt the cycle of violence.
PVJOBS is a 501c(3) nonprofit public benefit corporation that works to provide at-risk youth, adults and veterans with job training and employment opportunities. Since 1998, PVJOBS has overseen more than 8,000 job placements for Los Angeles’ most heavily impeded community members. PVJOBS partners with community-based organizations, public agencies, private developers, contractors and construction unions to help realize its mission of providing career-track employment opportunities to at-risk individuals.
