Flintridge Center Breaks Cycles of Poverty Through Job Training and Youth Services

Nonprofit Flintridge Center in Pasadena has emerged as a powerful force in breaking cycles of poverty and violence through comprehensive workforce development and youth services programs.

Josh McCurry, Executive Director of Flintridge Center, will provide an update about these programs at the Human Services Commission meeting at the Jackie Robinson Community Center in Pasadena on Wednesday.

The center’s Apprenticeship Preparation Program, which prepares formerly incarcerated and gang-impacted community members aged 17 and above for careers in union construction trades, has achieved remarkable success in reducing recidivism rates.

Program graduates demonstrate a recidivism rate of just 10 percent, significantly lower than Los Angeles County’s overall rate of 40 percent, with 70 percent securing employment within a year.

The organization’s impact extends beyond adult services, with its Youth of Promise program reporting that 95 percent of participating youth advance to the next grade level.

Founded in 1986 as the Flintridge Foundation by the Moseley family, the organization operated as a family foundation until 2007, making grants in arts, environment and human services.

From 2007 to 2010, it transitioned to the Flintridge Operating Foundation, focused on nonprofit capacity building, before becoming the Flintridge Center in 2010.

The center now serves a broad geographic area, with almost 50 percent of adult participants coming from across Los Angeles County, while youth services remain concentrated in Pasadena.

Youth of Promise targets individuals aged 11 to 18 who have experienced adverse childhood experiences, have incarcerated family members, or have been diverted by local police departments.

The program’s success is reflected in its outcomes, with 92 percent of youth showing grade improvements, 85 percent improving in Social Emotional Learning Indicators, and all seniors graduating.

The HireLAX Apprenticeship Readiness Program maximizes the economic impact of the Los Angeles International Airport Capital Improvement Program by including local workers who reflect Los Angeles’s diversity.

The organization provides comprehensive support services, including trauma-informed case management, GED assistance, and financial literacy training for both youth and adult participants.

For more information about the Flintridge Center and its programs, visit www.Flintridge.org.

The meeting of the Human Services Commission on Wednesday begins at 6 p.m. at the Jackie Robinson Community Center at 1020 N. Fair Oaks Ave. The public is encouraged to attend.