Our program and online store are relaunching next month--Preorder your cutting boards now and you will be first in line for shipment!
After closing for Covid in March 2020, we are preparing to relaunch with a new Covid-safe outdoor program this August! We will kick off by building outdoor furniture for the new Skid Row Community ReFresh Spot. We are thrilled to be able to again provide much needed employment and to furnish safe comfortable spaces for the unhoused community. Help support our relaunch by donating to Would Works today.
The opportunity to simply work hard for wages in order to afford the basic comforts of life is a great privilege that many of us in this country enjoy, and even take for granted. Would Works provides people who are homeless or living in poverty with the dignity of doing good work.
Would Works was so much more than I expected it to be. I felt like I was part of a family. I learned so much more than wood work-- I learned work ethics, responsibility, accountability, and preparation for re-entry into the workforce. Participating in the Would Works program was the very reason I was able to obtain employment and stay employed.
--Glasha Williams
2019 Would Works Artisan
Presently Community Health Worker at UC Irvine
By providing work experience and resources to those who need it most, Would Works offers critical support to individuals experiencing homelessness in Los Angeles' Skid Row. But beyond that, Artisans build community and life skills in a space were they are treated with dignity and care.
Elizabeth
“I had a rough life growing up,” Elizabeth explains. She battled addiction for 20 years, did 4 prison terms and was arrested 63 times. But, she's grateful to the people who believed in her and gave her a second (and third) chance. Now housed and a decade into sobriety, Elizabeth came to Would Works to pay her rent and to find community.
Marella
In 2016 Marella lost her job, and when her husband fell ill, she stayed home to care for him. Ultimately, she lost her home and found herself living on the streets. Marella's Would Works goal is to pay her phone bill and buy winter clothes. Then she plans to buy a laptop and print resumes for job applications.
Designing Furniture That Makes Waiting Not Feel Like Waiting
For the last month, a team of Would Works staff members and community partners have been participating in an intensive design workshop at the Stanford d.school. Through interviews, co-design sessions, observations and prototypes, our team is helping to redesign the waiting area experience at the Skid Row Community Refresh Spot.
Would Works @ Stanford d.school
Would Works won a generous scholarship to attend an intensive workshop called Designing for Social Systems (DSS) at Stanford's d.school this month! We put together a great team that will be helping to design the outdoor waiting room experience at the Skid Row Community ReFresh Spot
Welcome Our New Program Director Michele Liu!
In addition to leading the relaunch of Would Works existing programs this Spring, Michele will be developing the new "Outdoor Workshop" model as we pivot our program to include the design and fabrication of outdoor furniture for public spaces around LA.
Where to Buy Would Works Products this Holiday Season
Our Workshop and store is still closed due to Covid-19 precautions, but some of our most popular products are still available this Holiday season through other impactful vendors. See links to where to buy here and continue to support Would Works this Holiday season.We rely on the generous support of our community partners
Would Works thanks the following funders for supporting our programs
