In the Spotlight
Project Voice WERC

Los Angeles, CA – The Worker Education and Resource Center, Inc. (WERC) addresses shortages in Behavioral Health workers for Los Angeles and Alameda counties with their High Road Training Partnership grant. They have developed a training program for Community Health Workers who specialize as Harm Reduction Specialists. These specialized workers help mitigate the impacts of substance abuse and other risk factors in vulnerable communities by connecting their communities to vital resources. 

One component of their project’s work includes developing a Community Health Worker (CHW) – Harm Reduction Specialist training program. WERC partners with L.A. County Harm Reduction Division, community partners, healthcare providers, and advocacy groups to prioritize trauma-informed training. This collaboration ensures the training prioritizes equity in service delivery and employment practices, including culturally responsive training materials, practical role-play opportunities, and bias training delivered through a trauma-informed approach.

Harm Reduction Specialists are needed in the most vulnerable communities. WERC shared, “Harm Reduction Specialists’ work mitigates risks associated with substance abuse, reduces harm, and supports individuals in accessing vital resources. Their contributions to public health, safety, and community well-being should not be overlooked.”  WERC continues to build its employer network, advocacy, and education to the Harm Reduction workforce to create resilient communities.

WERC Harm Reduction Specialists have lived experience and reside in the community they serve. It has been critical to the program that trainees have lived experience as it ensures the curriculum remains authentic and relevant.

Terrance White
Harm Reduction Specialist

While incarcerated, WERC graduate Terrance White took the path toward self-improvement and professional development: studying history, economics, and cultures, taking paralegal courses, and rediscovering his passion for writing. Once released, he found a job with WERC partner Homeboy Industries and began his transition back into society. 

Using the knowledge gained from the WERC Harm Reduction Specialist training program, White will begin full-time employment with a community-based organization and feels confident in his new path. White continues to advocate for his community and hopes that more Harm Reduction Specialists enter the field, saying that “being in the community and working together with others is how we’ll bring about change.”

Micheal Childress Jr.
Harm Reduction Specialist

At a young age, Micheal Childress Jr. was exposed to drugs, alcohol, and a broken home. Self-medicating led him on a path to addiction and eventually prison. While incarcerated, Childress made changes: he completed drug treatment programs, was honored as valedictorian, and earned a humanitarian award.

Upon his release, Childress continued to succeed in his goals and used his lived experience to earn a property management position working with the homeless population. His wages were high, but the company’s instability ultimately left him unemployed, unbenefited, and rejected from other jobs because of his past. He felt uncertain about how he would provide for his family.

Childress shared his experience in the Harm Reduction Specialist training program as transformative. “I was in a slump, and this program helped me get my confidence back, taught me to believe in myself again, and gave me a second chance.” Childress’s favorite element of the program was the community and instructor. “Our instructor was great; she broke information down and taught us in a way that made sense for what we will do [as Harm Reduction Specialists]. We had a lot of discussions and formed a community where everyone had a voice.”

Childress is now working as a Re-Entry Case Manager, serving the justice-involved population. He copes with life’s challenges by spending time with his family and working toward his dream of running his own non-profit.

Rudy Villalobos
Engagement and Recruitment Coordinator for WERC

As the Engagement & Recruitment Coordinator for WERC, Rudy Villalobos’ job is to engage and recruit individuals to the Harm Reduction Specialist program. Villalobos grew up in a community where homelessness, substance abuse, gang violence, and poverty were commonplace, and he has been a Difference Maker for many residents there. His intuition and professional training have contributed to the program’s strategy of building equity in the Los Angeles region.

Villalobos has seen the growth of homelessness and the need for more human-centered support from people with lived experience. His outreach strategy is to place the individual and their needs first. This approach has earned Villalobos the trust of the community. Building trust allows him to be more effective in supporting individuals as they transition from unemployment and homelessness to a path where a career and family life are possible.

Villalobos describes his work as his destiny: “I will fight for individuals as much as possible, and when you love what you do, it’s not just a job.”