For Immediate Release
November 26, 2025
Contact:Lara Arsinian, Head of Marketing and Communicationspress@opportunity.lacounty.gov
LA County DEO Launches the Reentry Employment, Navigation, Engagement, and Wellbeing (RENEW) Program to Empower Justice-Impacted Residents
RENEW highlights the County’s commitment to advancing hiring and training support for reentering workers through Employment Social Enterprise
LOS ANGELES, CA — Today, the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) announced Reentry Employment, Navigation, Engagement, and Wellbeing (RENEW), a workforce development program that expands transitional employment, training, supportive services, and connections to quality jobs and career pathways with four Employment Social Enterprises (ESEs) for individuals on Post-Release Community Supervision and others impacted by the justice system.
RENEW is part of the County’s Care First commitment and DEO’s economic strategy to invest in prevention and positive reentry for historically disinvested individuals that reduces justice involvement and recidivism and increases economic opportunity and mobility for all. The program represents $7,544,970 in new funding for a proven training model with countywide employment social enterprises, DEO’s America’s Job Centers of California (AJCCs), and County agencies like Probation and Justice, Care, and Opportunities that has yielded permanent housing and hiring for participants.
“At a time when many programs are facing cuts, including some of our own hiring and training programs, LA County and DEO remain committed to investing in people,” said Kelly LoBianco, Director of the Department of Economic Opportunity. “By meeting people where they are and expanding opportunities for justice-impacted residents, we are not just helping individuals rebuild their lives – we are strengthening families, communities, and our economy.”
Through contracts with ESEs, including Chrysalis, Hub Cities, Managed Career Solutions, and Goodwill, 740 justice-involved individuals will be referred by Probation and reentry partners and connected to training and transitional jobs in construction, maintenance and operations, and food service and hospitality. Participants also receive mentorship from credible messengers with lived experience of justice-system involvement, supportive services, and help securing permanent, unsubsidized employment to ensure long-term success.
“Chrysalis is excited to partner with DEO, Probation, and the other RENEW providers to implement this new program and provide critical employment services to individuals returning home to our communities in these challenging times. Our trauma-informed services, combined with the power of real work experience through our social enterprises, gives individuals the tools and confidence to reenter the job market, get on a career path, and thrive,” said Mark Loranger, Chrysalis’ President and CEO.
“Through the RENEW program, Goodwill Southern California is able to open new doors for justice-impacted individuals by connecting them to meaningful, hands-on work experience through our social enterprises. By providing paid transitional employment, industry-focused training, and pathways to high-wage careers, RENEW strengthens our mission to help people transform their lives through the power of work. We are deeply grateful to the LA County Department of Economic Opportunity for trusting Goodwill Southern California as a funded partner in this important work and for helping make these life-changing opportunities possible,” said Patrick McClenahan, CEO of Goodwill Southern California.
“At Hub Cities, we see every placement as a chance for someone to rewrite their story,” Beatriz Silva of Hub Cities Consortium.
“Managed Career Solutions is proud to partner with the Department of Economic Opportunity on the RENEW Program. DEO’s commitment to investing in justice-involved individuals is creating meaningful pathways to employment and long-term stability. Together, we are expanding opportunities for residents who deserve a fair chance to rebuild their lives and strengthen their futures,” said Dr. Philip Starr, Executive Director, Managed Career Solutions.
The program is funded by AB109 funds recommended by the LA Countywide Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee’s Public Safety Realignment Team and a Prison to Employment grant from the California Workforce Development Board and builds on proven workforce program models for jobseekers facing barriers to employment due to justice involvement or homelessness, LA:RISE and INVEST. Integrated with DEO’s Fair Chance Hiring Campaign, RENEW also connects participants to employers committed to second-chance hiring for individuals with justice involvement.
To qualify for RENEW, participants must be at least 18 years old, unemployed or underemployed, currently or previously involved with the justice system, and residents of Los Angeles County with the legal right to work in the US. Supportive services are available to help participants obtain work authorization documents, training, and transportation assistance, among other essential resources.
To learn more about the RENEW, visit: opportunity.lacounty.gov/RENEW. DEO and participating ESEs are recruiting now.
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About DEO: The LA County Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) has a vision for a more equitable economy with thriving communities, inclusive and sustainable growth, and opportunity and mobility for all. The department, with its America’s Job Centers of California, Office of Small Business, and hundreds of programs and partners, creates quality jobs, helps small businesses and high-road employers start and grow, and builds vibrant communities and spaces. Stay connected with DEO! Follow @EconOppLA on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, subscribe to our newsletter, or visit opportunity.lacounty.gov to learn about DEO services.