( KRON )— Last week, a woman experiencing homelessness went into Urban Alchemy, a rehabilitation program for formerly incarcerated individuals, in hopes of finding some help. Less than a week later, that woman was able to both find temporary housing and land a job to sustain a life for herself and her son.
After her transformational week, the woman re-visited the UA offices to thank everyone for their help. Namely, she thanked Guillermo Magallanes– a formerly federally convicted felon who now oversees almost 700 practitioners as UA’s Deputy Director of Operations.
After spending time in federal prisons “all around the country,” Magallanes says he now has one single goal in life– to help. “I get up every morning, and I think to myself, ‘I gotta get to work and help someone…If I was helped to get to where I am, then I need to do the same for others.”
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Magallanes, 46, grew up in the projects in the San Fernando Valley. When Magallanes was nine years old, he was sent to juvenile hall for the first time. When he was 14, he was sentenced to serve four years. Shortly after his release, he was sent to state prison for gang-related activity. He was 18 years old…