About Would Works
"I Would Work if I Could"
OUR MISSION
At Would Works, we are committed to help youth with barriers to employment heal, learn new skills, grow their confidence and prepare for their next opportunities, by providing paid, creative, hands-on woodworking training in a supportive community.
To see the wood transform very quickly and feel that sense of accomplishment... it makes you feel valuable, it makes you feel accomplished, and competent. It makes you feel like you can achieve these longer life goals--the ones where you don't see results so quickly.
OUR VISON
We envision a future where communities and systems work together to advance human dignity, increasing economic opportunities for all and enabling people to thrive in balance with each other. Thus demonstrating that more equitable workforce models are possible.
Our Artisans
Young adults, between the ages of 18-30, are referred to our program by employment counselors and housing case managers from various Los Angeles organizations that provide resources to underserved youth, such as; Jovenes, Chrysalis Employment Services, A Place Called Home, Downtown Women’s Center, and America's Job Center of Callifornia.
Our Artisans often face multiple barriers to employment; including housing insecurity, justice involvement, mental or physical health challenges, along with institutional factors such as hiring discrimination and systemic racism. Would Works provides a flexible, creative, and trauma informed space for anyone who Would Work if they could, to (re)engage with employment.
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.
Our Programs
Would Works hosts 200 woodworking workshops annually providing over 6,000 hours of paid employment, healing community, and hands on woodworking training for people experiencing employment barriers and/or housing instability in Los Angeles.
Our workshops take place at our woodshop in Downtown LA and are divided into two core programs:
- Beginner Builders Program: BBP meets twice a week with cohorts of up to 10 Artisans for four month sessions. In these workshops, participants are paid to learn the ABCs of woodworking where they are trained to use common tools and machines found across a multitude of career pathways and how to safely navigate high hazard workshop environments. Our young adult participants are also provided wellness counseling, financial literacy courses, career discovery opportunities, and healthy family meals to ensure that each person receives holistic care while preparing for the next step in their professional journey.
- Community Builders Program: CBP is an extended paid training opportunity for Artisans who have completed our Beginner Builders Program and want to learn more advanced techniques in furniture design and fabrication. CBP creates outdoor furniture for community spaces and supportive housing sites throughout LA as well as our line of wood homewares, available for purchase on our website, through wholesalers, as well as pop up events.
Our Story
Our story is one of listening to people in need and coming up with a way to help.
In 2012 Would Works founder Connor Johnson was working at a homeless shelter in the Skid Row area of downtown Los Angeles. He met hundreds of people who stayed in the area. He listened to their hopes and dreams and the obstacles they face every day. Time and again he would hear them say - I WOULD WORK... if I could.
He started Would Works with the help of friends and family and ran weekend workshops in church basements and housing site rec rooms throughout Skid Row.
Ten years + later, with the support of Nick Offerman, the Los Angeles woodworking community, and a strong network of homeless services providers in Skid Row, Would Works has grown into a thriving social enterprise.
Our Team
Michele Liu
Director
Michele volunteered with WW for two years before joining as our Program Director in 2021 and then becoming Director in 2022. Prior to WW, Michele's design career included a decade of designing for her own furniture studio, The Neverending Balloon, and another decade of working in the mens footwear industry, including some years at Nike, Inc. Michele pivoted her career, applying what she learned in the corporate world about brand design, sales and marketing, and merging her passion for design with intersectional social justice work. Michele gained her foundational nonprofit work experience through other organizations such as Tree People and Slow Food USA. At WW she focuses on program design, product design, team-building, and she particularly interested in (re-)designing community spaces to foster social and environmental transformation.
Briana Pero
Shop Manager + Workshop Leader
Briana grew up in Santa Ana and attended Cal State Long Beach where she received a BFA in design with an emphasis on material studies. Briana is grateful for opportunities to support the growth of others--when not at Would Works, she can be found teaching woodworking at various shops & schools around LA. Her dog Saylor is often found making appearances on our social media platforms!
Valerie Hurtado
Workshop Leader
Valerie was born in San Bernardino and raised in Perris, CA. She studied Sociology and Public Health at UCI and recently graduated from the Furniture-Making Intensive Program at Cerritos College. Valerie aims to merge public health, art, and social advocacy through woodworking. Currently, she is pursuing a career in furniture design, fabrication, and sculptural woodworking. Valerie is inspired by the excitement of someone creating something for the first time and by helping others realize that woodworking is not only achievable for their own enjoyment, but could also be a potential career path.
Shirley Evans
Artisan Leader
Shirley was born and raised in Compton, California. Before coming to Would Works, she worked as a caretaker in a convalescent home and a security guard. Shirley was an exceptional Would Works Artisan for three years before becoming the Artisan Lead. Shirley has two daughters and is a dedicated grandmother.
Lucy Freedaman
Workshop Leader
Lucy is originally from Brooklyn, NY, and moved to LA in 2022. After a year of volunteering, they now teach Would Works’ People’s Builders Program. They studied furniture design and sustainability at RISD and co-taught a furniture course for women at Hatch Space during the pandemic. When not at WW, Lucy enjoys rock climbing, line dancing, reworking broken furniture, and making jewelry. A passionate believer that woodworking is for everyone, Lucy is dedicated to creating spaces where people of all backgrounds can explore their love of making things out of wood.
