HACLA Celebrates Grand Opening of New Watts Los Angeles WorkSource Center

Los Angeles - On Friday, November 15, 2024, the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) joined community leaders and elected officials to celebrate the grand opening of the new Watts Los Angeles Worksource Center location, located at 2212 E. Imperial Highway. This enhanced center will serve as a vital resource for career development, providing a range of employment and training opportunities for residents of Los Angeles.

The ceremony was facilitated by Britney Chine, HACLA's Workforce Development Manager, with opening remarks by HACLA's Board of Commissioner and Business Agent for Laborers' International Union of North America Local 300, Delfino De La Cruz Jr. followed by inspiring words from Deputy Mayor of Economic Opportunity, Brenda Shockley; the City's General Manager of Economic & Workforce Development Department (EWDD), Carolyn Hull; State Representative for Watts and parts of South Los Angeles, Assemblymember Mike Gipson represented by Deon Arnold and key State partner the Employment Development Department represented by Ken Gomez; as well as Aysa Evelyn, CaseWork Manager for Representative Maxine Waters.

Attendees were moved by testimonials from David Wyatt and Grandelia Pasillas, who shared how programs like Prison to Employment (P2E) and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) opened new career paths for them. Their stories highlighted the center's role in transforming lives through education, training, services and job support. The ceremony was concluded by Jenny Scanlin, HACLA's Chief Development Officer who invited the dignitaries to join her in cutting the ribbon to open the new Center.

"HACLA is proud of the thirty-two year history of its Watts/LA WorkSource Center which was started intentionally by the great Mayor Tom Bradley after the 1992 Los Angeles Uprising to address the grave inequities in economic opportunity for residents living in underserved communities like Watts and South Los Angeles," said Chief Development Officer Jenny Scanlin.

"Thank you to HACLA for their continued commitment to uplifting South LA's workforce. This WorkSource Center will assist local Angelenos impacted by job insecurity get enrolled into training and support services so they can get on a path to gaining access to employment in industries that will offer financial security and career advancement," said EWDD General Manager Carolyn Hull.

"We are committed to helping Angelenos connect to new career pathways and access life-changing opportunities," said Mayor Karen Bass. "The expanded Watts Los Angeles WorkSource Center is not just a resource for the present; it is an investment in the economic future of L.A."

"The new Watts/LA WorkSource Center will be a crucial investment in our community, providing One-Five and South LA residents with access to essential training and career pathways. This center will open doors for individuals who deserve the opportunity to thrive in careers, strengthening both our local workforce and the families that make this community resilient," stated the Office of Councilmember Tim McOsker.

"Serving thousands of adults and youth in and outside of HACLA's public housing and Section 8 programs to successfully upskill, cross-skill and re-skill to enter the workforce, start a business and/or climb career ladders is what the Watts/LA WorkSource Center does best and this new facility will allow us to expand the array of services and offerings our clients deserve," said HACLA Commissioner De La Cruz.

The event concluded with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, after which guests were invited for a tour of the almost 9,000 square foot center built out with an active computer lab, business center, private counseling space and large training rooms. The center is located on HACLA-owned property shared with a 100-bed Bridge Housing site run by Salvation Army and will be partnering with this shelter as well as other shelter and transitional housing sites to offer easy access to training and job resources for Angelenos coming out of homelessness. Light refreshments and networking continued as guests enjoyed the new indoor and outdoor space.

###

About HACLA
The Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA) was established in 1938 by City of Los Angeles Resolution No. 1241. HACLA is one of the nation's largest and leading public housing authorities, providing the largest supply of quality affordable housing to residents of the City of Los Angeles. HACLA provides affordable housing to over 83,000 households in its Public Housing and Section 8 rental assistance programs, and offers a range of permanent supportive housing programs for homeless households, including: Project-Based, HUD - Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing, Homeless, Tenant Based Supportive Housing, Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA), Continuum of Care and Moderate Rehabilitation Single Room Occupancy program. For more information, visit www.hacla.org.

Contact:

Claudia Monterrosa, Director of Policy & Innovation
213-252-1871

Courtney Harris, Media & Marketing Specialist
213-252-1272

[email protected]