Urban Alchemy offers opportunities for the formerly incarcerated

Huntington Park resident Roberto Gonzalez's story began at Tina’s Burritos factory, where he worked before a friend, aware of his history of short-term incarcerations, recommended Urban Alchemy. Seeing it as an opportunity for a fresh start at 38 years of age, Roberto applied and quickly found his place, where he now runs the temporary shelter Lincoln Safe Sleep Village in Los Angeles.

Gonzalez, who had been in and out of jail due to bad judgments, decided to change his life around when he finished his sentence in 2019. “I wasn't thinking straight. I was young, you know, and bad decision-making led me to roughly about two or three years in and out of jail,” he said.

After being in jail for 10 years for Gonzalez, it was crucial to do things differently this time. In the same year he was out, he started looking for jobs, but unfortunately, he was faced with a barrier that most formerly incarcerated individuals face: not being hired due to their criminal background. “They thought I was a troublemaker or whatnot, but no one is perfect; people make mistakes, you know, and then it's up to you if you want to adjust and be a better person for yourself and for your family,” Gonzalez said. “All these companies you go out to apply they look at your background and judge you. I don't think that's fair because at one point you could be bad but then you could change your life around.”

As of now, thousands of laws restrict employment opportunities or licenses for people with criminal records across the country. Due to certain convictions, some individuals can't even work at barbershops, airports, schools, or even as Uber drivers.

The 2023 National Survey of People with Records by the advocacy group Alliance for Safety and Justice found that one in two people with old convictions cited difficulties in finding a job, maintaining employment or making a living—and people with a felony conviction earn on average $23,000 per year.

Thankfully, the famous Tina's Burritos warehouse, where they make the burritos, was able to hire Gonzalez. Even though he wasn’t making much, that was just the start of his new life. He was getting paid $13 an hour working 50 hours a week, making roughly $400 to $500 a week.

Damien Scott, a close friend of Gonzalez, who also did 10 years in prison, one day reached out to him out of the blue. “He gave me a call to just check up on me to see how I was doing. And he asked me if I was working. Next thing you know, he told me, ‘Hey, you want a job?’” Gonzalez was really surprised by the question but ultimately said yes to the job offer because he would be making more than his job at the time. 

Scott explained that he was a supervisor for Urban Alchemy, a nonprofit organization. Gonzalez expressed his concerns about his criminal background. Scott told him that in the past he was also a felon and that they hire and help people like him. “At Urban Alchemy, they believe in second chances; they believe in second opportunities,” Scott told Gonzalez.

Scott’s time with Urban Alchemy began after serving a 27-year prison sentence. He entered prison at 18 and left with a deep desire to do something that would make a difference in people’s lives. His journey led him to Urban Alchemy because of the organization’s commitment to connecting with people living on the margins of society. He started out on the Skid Row Clean team, where he demonstrated his ability to lead. 

He was quickly promoted to supervisor and rose through the ranks. He now serves as director of operations for all of Los Angeles. Every day, Scott tells his team members that he loves them because he believes everyone should be more comfortable with expressing love.

The same way that Scott started cleaning bathrooms with the cleaning crew for $16 an hour is the same way that Gonzalez started at Urban Alchemy. “You just got to show up and do your diligence, do your work, and you can get promoted,” Scott said. 

Gonzalez slowly started to move up in the ranks at the organization. Now, five years later, he is a field coordinator of operations.  At the temporary shelter he runs he has helped over 500 unhoused guests find stability and work through their challenges. Under his leadership, 35 individuals have successfully transitioned into permanent housing.

“I'm just blessed by the opportunity that I was given. I took advantage and I completed it and it's just amazing how I went from negative to positive in my life and it really changed my life around. It's just a blessing.” Gonzalez said.

As a formerly incarcerated individual, Gonzalez takes immense pride in mentoring others. Gonzalez's favorite part of being a director is just being able to see people get housed. A lot of the people that he works with deal with drug abuse, mental health issues, trauma, and a lot of other problems. “I feel happy to put a smile on their face when we get donations like clothes for them or when we have events for them. It just makes me feel happy to give back to the community and see a smile on the people that get housing and see them moving forward because it's hard.”