Our Inaugural Poker Night
Chrysalis’ inaugural GO ALL-IN: A Texas Hold ‘em Poker Night was a great success. Over $85,000 was raised in support of our mission to help homeless and low-income individuals find and retain employment.
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Success Bells: Ron
For over the course of 10 years, Ron was living on the streets, struggling to find work due to a previous offense. It was after he started a family that Ron realized the urgency of his situation. He needed to find work and a safe place to live for his wife and three children.
Success Bells: Enrique
Enrique grew up thinking that people with jobs were different than he was. And going to an office or having a 9-to-5 was never something that he would have the opportunity to do. However, upon his most recent release from jail, he decided that he was ready for something else.
Good: The Road From Prison To A Celebrity Chef’s Restaurant Isn’t Paved In Gold
GOOD reports: “Dinner guests at Gwen, the Los Angeles restaurant and butchery helmed by celebrity TV chef Curtis Stone—who you may know from “The Celebrity Apprentice 3” and “Top Chef Masters”—may not see what goes on behind the scenes.”
A Note from our CEO: Rapid Re-housing and Employment
Chrysalis is now part of two different rapid re-housing initiatives, Breaking Barriers and the Housing and Jobs Collaborative (HJC), in an effort to end the vicious cycle of homelessness, unemployment, and incarceration by helping men and women gain access to housing and employment.
Success Bells: Darrell
Growing up in Beverly Hills and Hollywood with a famous father probably sounds like the type of circumstance that would set someone up for success. But for Darrell, a life a partying, drug use, and too much extra time on his hands landed him in and out of jail for over the course of nearly 20 years.
Breaking Barriers Houses over 100 Clients!
Chrysalis is excited to celebrate a huge milestone for Breaking Barriers. This August, the program hit the 100+ clients housed mark!
Success Bells: John
As John makes his rounds in Downtown Los Angeles, he greets individuals —some all too familiar faces— all struggling with homelessness. Maybe today will be the day they are ready to come to him for help. After experiencing homelessness, incarceration, and a 24-year off-and-on battle with addiction, John knows what a challenge it is to admit when it’s time to get help.
Volunteer Spotlight: Barry
“I am inspired by the determination and hope the clients have. These people are here and they want to change their lives. They don’t want to be outcasts.” -Barry
Success Bells: Robert
Despite having a diverse work history, a positive attitude, and the drive to find employment, Robert was being turned down for jobs time and time again. Though he was focused on moving forward, every rejection from potential employers reminded him of his past.
Success Bells: Kellie
After more than two decades of running on empty and serving time in jail, Kellie came to Chrysalis with the determination to change her life and learn how to navigate a new pathway to self-sufficiency.
NBC LA: Nonprofit Dedicated to Helping Low-Income, Homeless Clients in Job Search
NBC Reports: “Trinidad Ramirez is about as unlikely a hero as you can imagine. Born to a single mother in the Santa Clarita Valley, she ran away from home at 14 years old and had her own children, who were taken away from her.”
REDF announces Chrysalis as a subgrantee of the Social Innovation Fund (SIF) Program
REDF has more than 18 years of experience providing funding and capacity building to employment-focused social enterprises in California. Chrysalis is proud to be included in the new portfolio of the venture philanthropy organization REDF, backed by the federal government’s Social Innovation Fund.
Los Angeles Business Journal: Downtown BID Working on Spike in Homeless
The Los Angeles Business Journal reports: “The Downtown Center Business Improvement District, a coalition of nearly 1,700 property owners in the Downtown area, has partnered with the non-profit organization People Assisting the Homeless to increase outreach to homeless individuals…”
GOOD: How One Nonprofit Integrates the Homeless Back Into Society
GOOD reports: “In 1984, John Dillon was 22 years old and a year out of college, volunteering with Catholic Charities in the Jesuit Volunteer Core. After a year of service on Skid Row in Los Angeles, he decided he wanted to start his own nonprofit to serve the homeless…”
Los Angeles Sentinel: Mayor Garcetti Announces First Steps to Homeless Strategy, Including LA RISE Initiative
The Los Angeles Sentinel reports: “Mayor Eric Garcetti recently announced the first steps of a comprehensive strategy to address the homelessness crisis in Los Angeles…”
Santa Monica Mirror: How Chrysalis Helps Homeless, Low-Income Residents Find Jobs
The Santa Monica Mirror reports: “What can be done to help the homeless? What are the factors that contribute to someone being out on the streets, and what are the best ways to get them working and a productive member of society?”
The Hollywood Reporter: Third Annual Crab Cake L.A. Draws Laurence Fishburne, Voltaggio Brothers
Ben Feldman and Duff Goldman tapped the kitchen talents of Bryan and Michael Voltaggio for the third annual Crab Cake L.A., held Aug. 2, at No Vacancy in Hollywood.
NPR: Skid Row storage helps put order in lives of homeless
NPR reports: “A program called The Bin allows homeless people like Chris Rodriguez, 43, to use the storage bins for free. ‘Anywhere else, you have to pay 60, 70 dollars for storage,’ says Rodriguez.”
Zocalo: Don’t Give the Homeless Your Sympathy
Zocalo reports: What Chrysalis CEO Mark Loranger and others have to say about homelessness, jobs, and affordable housing.