Goodwill, Serving the People of Southern Los Angeles County (SOLAC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that transforms donated goods into job training, education and placement services for individuals with barriers to employment.
For over 90 years, Long Beach has been home to the regional office responsible for 22 cities within Southern Los Angeles County, including Carson, Cerritos, Gardena, Torrance and Norwalk, among others.
“We have the smallest geographic area,” Vice President of Workforce Development Ben Espitia said. “However, we have one of the largest Goodwill territories in terms of the dense urban population.”
While many simply think of the thrift stores that pepper communities when they hear the name Goodwill, the organization offers community members so much more than discounted clothes and goods. The nonprofit, for example, has partnered with the California Department of Rehabilitation and the Harbor Regional Center to offer part- and full-time jobs to people with developmental disabilities such as intellectual disabilities, cerebral palsy, epilepsy and autism.
Last year, the territory served 932 people, including 256 who entered into job training programs, 126 who completed those programs and 182 whom the organization helped find employment.
Throughout the Southern LA County territory, Goodwill employs 350 people, including 125 in Long Beach. While some are executives and other staff in the administrative offices, most work in the stores and other facilities dealing with the donations.
And while workforce development is a top priority for Goodwill, the organization aims to meet people where they’re at. If people have challenges that prevent them from being ready for employment, then Goodwill seeks to address those hurdles.
To that end, the Long Beach-based Goodwill has partnered with Foodbank of Southern California to host a mobile food pantry on the fourth Thursday of every month. The pantry is set up at the Goodwill headquarters at 800 W. Pacific Coast Highway.
The organization also offers a two-week life skills and employment preparation program for people experiencing homelessness. The program includes six three-hour classes that cover social interactions, financial literacy, stress/anger/conflict management, ethics, and career development and legal rights.
Upon completion of the program, Goodwill staff assist people in their job search. That assistance can include everything from creating a resume to educating them in specific fields.
“A lot of folks have barriers to employment,” President and CEO Kimberly Hall said. “And our job is to help alleviate those barriers.”
Goodwill will offer on-the-spot interviews at the Long Beach Career Fair on Tuesday, June 13 from 10am-2pm at the Expo Arts Center at 4321 Atlantic Ave. Please RSVP to attend this free community event hosted by the Long Beach Post and Long Beach Business Journal.
