LOS ANGELES HABILITATION HOUSE INC

LAHH was formed during a lunch break between the Founding Directors, Guido Piccarolo and Nancy Albin in February 2005. A Statement of Value was written that is the basis for the company today: "We believe that the passion to fulfill ourselves informs how we live our lives and work at our jobs. We want to promote a society that helps everyone fulfill their real needs: truth, beauty, happiness, love and justice. In doing so, we can be ourselves and treat others with unconditional love and respect for their human dignity. We need a "house" like a child needs a family to be helped, educated, corrected and supported. We need a "house" that will continually reawaken the will to work, to take changes, to invent. We need a "house" that will prevent an individual from becoming alienated and cynical. "

How do we achieve our mission?
LAHH is a unique non-profit in that we directly employ people with disabilities in one of the lines of business. Once our customers' business need is identified, we create a team of people who are disabled and non-disabled, provide on-going training and support, as the service is provided.

LAHH has four lines of business that provide services to customers and employment opportunities for people with disabilities that take place in the community; Janitorial and Building Services; Contract Management Services; Administrative Services, and Youth Services.

Janitorial and Building Services: outreach, employment, training in the classroom and on the job, mentoring, and developing career opportunities for individuals with disabilities in the building services industry using a standardized, professional cleaning system called (OS1).

Contract Management Services: outreach, employment, training in the classroom and on the job, mentoring and developing a career path for veterans with disabilities in administration and a way to transition back into the civilian world.

Administrative Management Services: outreach, employment, training and work experience in an office for women with disabilities.

Youth Services: outreach, employment, training and work experience for youth transiting out of juvenile detention centers and who have barriers to employment in Los Angeles.

Why does LAHH exist?
Seventy percent (70%) of adults with a disability are unemployed in the United States. LAHH has been created to respond to the need for employment experienced by people with disabilities. LAHH is an organization that exists to break down the cycle of alienation and remove the barriers experienced by people with disabilities when they try to find a job. There is one-on-one feedback given throughout the first two months to help correct behavior that is unprofessional and provide guidance in ways that are appropriate for the professional workplace. Despite progress made in the last few years, a number of educational indicators report that meaningful inclusion is hampered by insufficient permeation of inclusion principles into institutions...meaning that there are still barriers to employment for people with disabilities.