Hope Builders

Hope Builders empowers Orange County’s young adults with the mentorship, life skills and job skills training that meet the needs of employers.

Founded in 1995, Hope Builders addresses two key challenges: (1) young adults from low-income neighborhoods—disproportionately people of color—often lack access to upwardly-mobile employment, and (2) employers face a shortage of skilled, reliable talent for middle-skill jobs. By connecting motivated youth to employers in need, Hope Builders strengthens individuals, families, and communities, fostering pathways to living-wage employment, self-sufficiency, and long-term success.

Hope Builders prioritizes quality employment placements that offer fair wages, benefits, safe conditions, predictable schedules, and opportunities for advancement. The organization’s workforce training programs are offered at no cost, removing financial barriers and fast-tracking opportunity youth into careers that were previously out of reach because they require education beyond high school. Over 30 years, Hope Builders has helped more than 7,500 young adults complete their education, develop in-demand skills, and launch stable careers that benefit both participants and their communities.

Top Accomplishments
1. Celebrated 30 Years of Impact: Marked Hope Builders’ 30th anniversary, celebrating 7,500 lives transformed since our founding in 1995.
2. Strong Workforce Outcomes: Achieved a 77% job placement rate for program graduates, with 80%+ employment retention, demonstrating lasting career impact.
3. Sector Expansion: Successfully expanded Hope Builders Career Connections beyond construction to include healthcare career pathways, broadening employer and trainee reach.

These outcomes are made possible through our innovative workforce development program that translates vision into opportunity for young adults like Kelly.
At 26, Kelly was a single mother who had lost her job while pregnant and was struggling to support her baby. Through Hope Builders’ Child Development Careers program, she gained in-demand skills and the support she needed to stay on track. Matched with an employer through Hope Builders Career Connections, Kelly is now a Behavior Technician earning $22 an hour and building a stable future for her family.

Top Goals
1. Scale Career Access: Advance toward our long-term vision of connecting 30,000 challenged young adults to sustainable careers.
2. Grow Hope Builders Career Connections (HBCC): Expand HBCC by increasing employer partnerships across construction and healthcare and refining our talent-matching model.
3. Innovate Nonprofit Impact: Continue redefining how a nonprofit delivers workforce impact by blending mission-driven programming with earned-revenue strategies.

Nearly 30,000 Orange County young adults are disconnected from the workforce and educational opportunities; Hope Builders has laid out a plan to scale its programs, enabling it to connect more young adults to career opportunities. Related to this effort, Hope Builders’ most pressing needs include financial support to: 1) expand its social enterprise to place more young adults into employment; 2) strengthen its ability to provide high quality training to support increased enrollment; and 3) broaden its outreach and admissions efforts to facilitate expanded enrollment goals.

Hope Builders serves Orange County, CA

Hope Builders provides a pathway to prosperity for young adults from low income neighborhoods. Through innovative programs and an entrepreneurial approach, Hope Builders provides a talent pipeline of workforce ready candidates to employers offering jobs with upward mobility. Across our county and nation, communities are grappling with broken systems that have widened the opportunity gap for young people. A recent Orange County Business Council report showed that 45% of HR managers reported difficulty finding qualified candidates, naming “lack of skills” as the primary reason. Where some see doom and gloom, Hope Builders see opportunity. At Hope Builders, we know how to bridge the labor market chasm by building skills and productive behaviors that open-up access to stable careers. We understand the needs of vital essential industries – Construction and Healthcare – and partner with employers to meet their needs. We overcome systemic barriers that impede a young person from reaching their full potential and future prosperity. Hope Builders is stepping up to the increased challenges we face by committing to increase the number of young people it places into career jobs and double the number of young people it serves over the next three years. With strong outcomes to date, Hope Builders is well-positioned to grow its impact with your support.