SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Rebuilding life after incarceration can be a challenging road, but Vehicles for Change San Diego is helping transform lives by offering a fresh start.
The nonprofit organization provides a 10-week automotive training program for justice-impacted San Diegans, meaning those who were formerly incarcerated or have been affected by incarceration in their family.
"Not only is it a second chance for them, but it’s also them starting anew. It’s starting a new career, a new path for themselves and for their families," Ivan Corona said.
Corona is the executive director of Vehicles for Change San Diego.
Participants apply online and once accepted to the program, they learn valuable mechanical skills by repairing donated vehicles and gaining real-world experience in a supportive environment.
"We oftentimes hear that nobody has trusted them, that nobody has given them an opportunity in the past, and that they are able to receive that here, and so that makes us and the work that we do just that much more important," Corona said.
The work has come with some pushback regarding employers willingly hiring someone with a criminal background.
"The stigma around hiring someone who is justice-impacted is that they did something bad and they’re going to do it again, and so we teach our graduates that that’s not true," Corona said. "They are people just like you and I and employers are missing out on a very talented pool of people."
The nonprofit organization has been operating since January 2023.
"We haven’t stopped ever since. Last March, we graduated our 101-person class, and 80% of our graduates are working or going to school full-time, so we are very proud of the work that they are doing," Corona said.
The organization uses a mix of state and federal funding, but also relies on individual donations to keep the work going. The program is finally getting recognition.
"Employers are now calling us to see when we have graduates ready to be hired," Corona said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
