Chrysalis

Our primary goal is to empower individuals impacted by poverty and homelessness by providing resources and support to rebuild their lives through employment opportunities – and thus alleviate the high numbers of men and women throughout Los Angeles and Orange Counties and the Inland Empire, who are living in poverty. Our outcomes for 2023 will include:
• Organization-wide, we will assist at least 2,632 clients to obtain quality employment.
Employed clients will include:
1. At least 1,800 clients who will obtain jobs with outside employers, and earn an average of $19.11 per hour; and
2. At least 1,108 clients will be hired by our in-house social enterprise business, Chrysalis Enterprises, to work a transitional job, earning a minimum of $17/hour.
• Of clients working outside jobs reached, at least 70% will retain employment for at least six months.

Working with Seed Consulting, Chrysalis is in the process of completing a new strategic plan that will guide the organization’s work over the 5-years beginning in 2024. Key focus areas we are exploring during this planning process include the following:
• Expansion: including possible expansion within Southern California; increasing our brand recognition as a workforce development leader; and advocacy for systems change in areas including workforce development, reentry and anti-recidivism, and homelessness.
• Program: including program enhancements and accessibility; developing career pathways toward higher quality jobs; and job retention supports.
• Operations: including becoming an employer of choice; strengthening our DEI work; succession planning; space planning to accommodate current and future programming; and enhanced systems and structures.
• Financial stability: to support current operations and future growth.

In its 39-year history, Chrysalis has helped over 80,000 low-income and homeless individuals get on the path to self-sufficiency. One of the key things that makes Chrysalis unique and successful is its continued focus on employment. Chrysalis recognizes that each person who comes to our organization requesting help has a myriad of issues that are standing in the way of their self-sufficiency. But we also know what we do well, which is help people become job-ready, find a job, and retain a job. We've made it part of our service model to assist clients to address all of their barriers to employment by maintaining strong relationships with organizations throughout each community we serve, that can provide a variety of services to help with issues such as substance abuse problems, lack of housing and chronic mental illness. These robust connections help us to facilitate a warm referral of our clients to organizations who are better equipped to address all of their issues. In some cases, where it makes sense, we bring other organizations into our offices to work directly with our clients. For example, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles sends staff to each of our offices to help clients expunge criminal records, reduce felonies to misdemeanors, and get their drivers' licenses back. We also partner with mental health organizations, who send clinicians to each Chrysalis office to provide short-term therapy for clients with situational mental health issues.

Concentrating its limited resources on the employability of its clients has allowed Chrysalis to quickly innovate and adapt to the changing job market. Recognizing that today, clients need more advanced computer and customer service skills to be competitive in their job search, Chrysalis has developed intensive trainings that augment our core curriculum. We have also updated our program to include topics such as internet safety, online applications, advanced interviewing, and networking.
Moreover, while social enterprise has become a buzzword throughout the nonprofit community recently, since 1991 Chrysalis has been operating a social enterprise that has grown to become a national model. Chrysalis Enterprises (CE) offers clients with the most significant barriers to employment paid, transitional employment with our in-house businesses to get them started on the road to permanent, outside positions.

Components of Chrysalis’ Employment Program include:

• One-on-one mentoring and case management with an Employment Specialist;
• Job preparation classes that teach basic job-search techniques, career development and job retention skills;
• Personalized assistance with resumes, practice interviews, and computer and telephone skills
• Access to computers, telephones, copiers;
• Transitional employment;
• Supplemental support, such as scholarships, professional clothing, personal hygiene items, scholarships and stipends for living expenses; and
• Referrals to housing, health services, childcare, and other supportive services.

2022 Accomplishments

In 2022, still responding to the pandemic, we provided our clients with a hybrid of in-person and remote services. Last year, Chrysalis:
• Welcomed 3,904 new clients into our Employment Program, and served a total of 6,760 clients including those who continued on with us from the previous year;
• Helped 1,594 clients find jobs with outside employers. These clients earned an average starting wage of $18.48, far higher than the minimum wage;
• Provided transitional employment for 1,709 clients through their Chrysalis Enterprises businesses. Transitional workers worked 974,428 hours last year and earned a minimum of $17/hour;
• Paid over $16 million in client wages for transitional workers;
• Expanded our service area to the Inland Empire (IE), adding 9 new Chrysalis Enterprises Roads crews to the region, and began to provide our general Employment Program services for IE clients.