YOUTH PROGRAMS
HDA is committed to reshaping the juvenile justice system, fostering successful community reintegration, and reducing gang involvement, thereby creating a positive ripple effect.
Youth Justice Program
HDA facilitates weekly Victim Awareness classes at two juvenile detention facilities in Los Angeles County with youth accused of violent crimes. The classes provide a safe space to process their wounds, explore factors that might have contributed towards their actions and harm they’ve caused, and guidance on how to cultivate empathy for themselves and others.
Credible Messengers
As part of LA County’s Credible Messenger Program, our team of Wounded Healers work alongside Probation staff seven days a week at two juvenile detention facilities. HDA team members, who were once incarcerated in Juvenile Hall themselves, build consistent, compassionate relationships with youth who have been accused of violent crimes.
Credible Messengers are natural leaders who have successfully navigated their own prior involvement in the justice system, share similar life experiences with current justice-involved young people, and are poised to have a transformative impact on an individual, family, community and systemic level. At HDA, we refer to them as Wounded Healers.
Youth Accompaniment
Re-Entry Program
HDA continues our work of accompaniment after youth have been released from juvenile hall through our groundbreaking reentry initiative. Young people face significant challenges during community reintegration and to meet these needs, HDA launched a reentry pilot program in February 2023. Our services include family reintegration, health referrals, job readiness training, vocational education, secure transitional housing, and robust mentorship. HDA ensures each youth receives personalized support by addressing dynamic risk factors and tailoring interventions to individual needs. Our reentry program is unlike any other because it builds upon the relationships our Wounded Healers have established with the young people during their time inside. Youth are much more likely to seek reentry support when it is offered by a trusted source and the continuum of care provided by HDA’s team dramatically increases a successful return to the community.
Our Youth Is Our Future & Our Present
