The Los Angeles-based organization, The Giving Keys, provides work for people transitioning out of homelessness. Employees produce jewelry with an inspirational message, paying the positivity forward. We caught up with The Giving Keys founder Caitlin Crosby to learn about where she got the idea for her company, along with what she loves most about the work they do.

Brit & Co: Tell us how you see the connection between inspiration and social enterprise?

CC: My life has always been a balancing act between my love for music and acting — I was born and raised in Los Angeles and still perform — and my passion for helping the homeless. Somehow my inspiration to help people turned into The Giving Keys. As I started adding words on the keys, I realized the significance of the keys symbolically opening those intentions for people, and once I added the mission of employing people who are trying to transition out of homelessness, I realized even more so the symbolism of the keys opening literal doors for people to get their own apartments.

B+C: What’s the best way for someone to support and/or get involved with The Giving Keys?

CC: The best way to support The Giving Keys is to wear our products and support our mission to help end homelessness, spreading our message of inspiration and hope to others, one key at a time. When people buy our keys, it provides a job as a sustainable solution for ending homelessness; that’s why we place people on career paths and hand them the keys to unlock their fullest potential.

Through the purchase of our keys, we’ve generated 115,321 hours (and counting) of work for people transitioning out of homelessness.

Read the full article about The Giving Keys by Krista Gray at Brit + Co.