Homeboy Industries

Healing, Hope and Gang Transformation

Adapted from a conversation with Gregory Boyle on the Follow Forward Podcast

I walked through the doors of Homeboy Industries in 2015. I was fascinated to experience the environment, hear the stories, and be inspired by the largest gang intervention programme in the United States. But I was particularly looking forward to meeting the visionary leader behind Homeboy Industries, Father Gregory Boyle.

Avuncular, warm, humorous, and exuding wisdom, Father Greg, affectionately known as G-Dog, did not disappoint. I shared with him the first steps we were taking to develop a reintegration programme in South Africa to address the huge challenges of gangsterism, crime, and reoffending within our context. He expressed great interest, shared some pearls of wisdom, and we discussed the possibility of him visiting.

Eleven years on, that visit has not yet materialised. However, Gangstar Enterprises, a micro-business owned by The Message Trust South Africa, has grown into a Christ-centred initiative that provides a fresh start for those turning their backs on gangsterism and crime.

Given that we sought to follow the example of Father Greg and his team, it seemed appropriate to invite him to feature on the Follow Forward podcast. I was delighted when he responded to my email and agreed to the interview. I hoped to glean more wisdom on how to create an environment where those written off by society can receive the opportunity to thrive. And I wasn’t disappointed.

Violence Is About Something Else

Father Greg has walked alongside gang members for more than three decades. He has seen the devastation caused by the violence in which gang members become immersed. Yet one of his most striking insights is that violence is not the core problem. He says:

“Violence is always about something else … Gang violence was about something else. It was about a lethal absence of hope.”

He believes we need to move beyond confronting the symptoms and get to the root cause. Young people do not join gangs because they are attracted to violence, or even because they want a place to belong.

“No gang member is seeking anything when he joins a gang. They’re all fleeing something.”

Father Greg claims that young people join gangs because they want to die. This striking statement rang true for me. This is the ultimate absence of hope, when emotional, spiritual, and physical death can appear to be the best, or only, option available. As he succinctly states:

“No hopeful kid has ever joined a gang.”

Healing Changes Everything

I have often quoted Father Greg as saying, “Nothing stops a bullet like a job.” For many years, Homeboy Industries focused heavily on job creation as the avenue to a fresh start. However, Boyle told me:

“Fifteen years into working at Homeboy, you discover that it really was about healing. It wasn’t about employment.”

He went on to say:

“An employed gang member may or may not go back to prison. An educated one may or may not. But a healed gang member won’t ever reoffend.”

Homeboy Industries is therefore primarily a place of healing. Healing is at the centre of everything: therapy, community, belonging, safety, and unconditional acceptance. Through this uncompromising and holistic approach, Homeboy becomes a place of restoration. And healed homies become great employees, family members, and contributors to society.

The Power of Kinship

To provide this kind of space requires an environment of service, which in turn builds kinship. As Father Greg eloquently states:

“Service is the hallway that leads you to the ballroom. The ballroom is kinship.”

For him, ministry is not simply helping people from a distance. It is creating spaces where people belong. This emphasis on kinship transforms both the giver and the receiver. It moves beyond charity towards genuine relationship. 

“People become resilient and sturdy as a result of having found themselves in kinship with other people.”

This is a compelling vision of transformation. And the fruit is tangible. Whether in LA, Cape Town, or elsewhere, the challenge is to follow Christ’s example of compassion. As Boyle has written,

“Compassion isn’t just about feeling the pain of others; it’s about bringing them in toward yourself. If we love what God loves, then, in compassion, margins get erased. ‘Be compassionate as God is compassionate,’ means the dismantling of barriers that exclude.”

In Part 2 of this article, I will further explore how trust, compassion, and love combine as key components of the Homeboy pathway to healing.

*To find out more about the Follow Forward Podcast, click here.
To listen to Father Greg’s interview, choose your preferred platform: YouTube, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.