For Jessica, the most gratifying part of her job is being able to level the playing field for community members who do not have access to job-search resources and training. As a first-generation Mexican American, she feels a sense of responsibility to help those who are underrepresented and underserved by spreading knowledge to her community.

One way Jessica does this is by facilitating job readiness classes in which clients learn the differences between soft and hard skills, how to prepare for interviews, how to keep a job, and how to receive feedback on the job.

A natural people person, Jessica always takes great care to create a safe and welcoming environment in her classes, ensuring that clients feel comfortable. “A lot of the time, we’re the only people that clients see in a day, especially those who are unstably housed. There’s not always quality customer service out in the community. I want to make sure we’re giving tools, but also treating clients with the utmost respect.”

In a recent job readiness class, a client with limited professional work history approached her feeling unsure about how to showcase their experience. She offered guidance by encouraging the individual to focus on highlighting their soft skills, including their ability to learn quickly and be punctual for a job. She believes all experience is valuable and that a good resume just depends on how it is framed. Watching clients have that “Aha!” moment makes it all worth it for Jessica.

A typical workday for Jessica varies wildly because she and her team have their hands on a multitude of different projects. Throughout the week, you can find her actively engaged in cross-departmental collaboration. She regularly liaises with our Client Service team members, partners on projects to support our employment social enterprise, and closely mentors student volunteers.

Outside of work, Jessica can be found learning French on the Duolingo app, where she has a 400-plus-day streak.

Become a Volunteer

The post Staff Spotlight: Jessica first appeared on Chrysalis.

For three decades, Gilbert viewed the world through a small window. From his cell, he could see a desert field, a fence, and a car patrolling the surrounding area. He also envisioned what life would be like while not incarcerated… a colorful life that involved time with loved ones and embracing meaningful employment. He shares, “It started off as a dream…but that spark turned into a fire.”

Shortly after his release, Gilbert was referred to Chrysalis. While employed in a transitional job within a division of our employment social enterprise, Chrysalis Roads, Gilbert secured his driver license for the first time. When the COVID-19 pandemic stalled his progress, Gilbert turned back to Chrysalis and other service providers to continue forward.

At Chrysalis, Gilbert received one-on-one support from his Employment Specialist, job-readiness coaching, and guidance on how to prepare for and dress professionally for interviews. Later, while providing COVID testing services, Gilbert recognized his passion for serving others. 

Thanks to a referral from his Chrysalis Employment Specialist, Gilbert was connected to the training and support he needed to pursue his dream of becoming a substance use counselor. For nearly a year, he has been conducting group sessions, emphasizing the importance of challenging societal stereotypes, enabling emotional growth, and envisioning success. 

No longer viewing a barren field through a small window, Gilbert sees the potential in himself and in those with whom he surrounds himself. “This is what it’s all about. Me overcoming everything that was stacked up against me.” 

Outside of work, Gilbert enjoys spending time with his family and those he loves. His journey is a testament to what everyone in our community can accomplish when their resilience and determination are met with adequate and compassionate resources and support. Chrysalis is honored to be there for Gilbert and every individual who turns to us each day.

The post Success Bells: Gilbert first appeared on Chrysalis.

In the recent few years Hines team members have provided 159 hours of one-on-one services to Chrysalis clients, including resume preparation and practice interviews. Employees have also worked with clients at quarterly resource and job fairs at our Downtown Los Angeles center and have helped sort clothing donations at our Orange County center. To date the company’s pro bono, volunteer, and financial support amounts to more than $30,000.

Chrysalis values the Hines employees who regularly volunteer in our centers and we love the extra energy they bring to special projects. From painting, replacing lighting fixtures, to repairing a very old HVAC system, the Hines team have shown their dedication to investing in their community.

Recently one of these special projects brought together 24 Hines employees for a day of service honoring their founder Gerald D. Hines. The group packed 500 sack lunches and 500 hygiene kits. They also sorted clothing and accessory donations, organized our resource room, and cleaned important storage areas in the Downtown Los Angeles center.

Way to go Hines! Thank you for your partnership and service.

Our special thanks go to Hines employees for their ongoing work and support of Chrysalis. Your impact is making a difference at Chrysalis and we can’t thank you enough!

Invest in your community and support Chrysalis programs. 

CONTACT ✉ Kristen Laskaris, Director of Institutional Giving

The post Partner Spotlight: Hines first appeared on Chrysalis.

When asked what a steady job means to her, Monet smiles and looks at her daughter, “It feels good. It feels really good to be back on track. Everything I’m doing is to make a better life for her.”

As a Security Guard with Southern California Edison, Monet helps to ensure public safety and the protection of generators during power outages. In order to prioritize being there for her family during the day, she opts for night shifts – sometimes working 12 consecutive hours and getting home when many are either asleep or just waking up. This schedule offers her the flexibility to be there for her family. 

“I can do things during the day like pay bills, cook, clean, and pick [my daughter] up from school…”

Through her job, Monet is a light and keeps the lights on.

Despite nearly a decade of living in the same apartment and maintaining steady employment, Monet and her daughter lost everything after the onset of the 2020 pandemic. “It was bad. I lost my place, I lost my job… I was homeless for a while.” 

Later, as she prepared to reenter the workforce, Monet turned to Chrysalis at the recommendation of a friend. In addition to refreshing her resume and brushing up on her interview skills with support from Chrysalis staff and volunteers, she received financial support to re-establish her guard card, get CPR certified, and secure her firearm permit. She emphasizes that having the funds to do those things made all the difference.

Through Chrysalis’ partnership with Brilliant Corners and our Breaking Barriers program, she also received services that connected her to affordable housing and tenancy support designed to reduce recidivism and prevent a return to homelessness.

“Don’t give up. Keep going. I’m living proof.”

Monet celebrates being a positive role model for her daughter, stably employed and housed, and surrounded by supportive family, friends, and service providers like Chrysalis. She also looks forward to continuing to work with her Employment Specialist to secure a higher paying firearm position in order to build an even better life for herself and her daughter.

The Success Bell resonated throughout Chrysalis’ center as Monet celebrated this milestone and those to come alongside her daughter, Chrysalis staff, volunteers, and clients. After joining the celebration virtually, her Employment Specialist shared:

Monet is a powerful individual who handles tough situations with a smile and a great attitude. It is incredibly encouraging to those of us who need that energy and courage to keep going. Monet had three choices when she entered our program and she chose give it all she had. I have enjoyed working with her, watching her growth, seeing her achieve all her goals little by little, and can’t wait to see more of what she will accomplish!

Join us as we rejoice in Monet’s resilience, perseverance, and the ripples of change she is creating throughout our community by sharing her story!

The post Success Bells: Monet first appeared on Chrysalis.

Over the past four months, Karen has supported Chrysalis clients during their job search journey both virtually and in person. As our centers have transitioned back to prioritizing face-to-face services, we reached out to our volunteers for support – and Karen stepped up to conduct in-person interview workshops at our Santa Monica center.

“The interview workshop has been a great opportunity to interact. People are more open to sharing. It’s a different dynamic [than being online].”

One of Karen’s favorite parts about facilitating the workshops is receiving feedback from our clients on the curriculum she can share with Chrysalis staff. For example, SB731, the bill that seals felony records after a certain number of years, needed to be added to the training as the bill finally took effect on July 1, 2023. Together with staff, clients, and volunteers, we are able to make our workshops more informative and beneficial for all.

“I really enjoy the experience of facilitating something and connecting people who wouldn’t have otherwise met.”

Karen recalls a memory when a client shared his experience of going into an interview. He arrived on time and greeted the receptionist, who told him to wait. As a surprise to him, it turned out that the receptionist was his interviewer! From this story, Karen shares that it’s always important to treat everyone with kindness and respect.

Outside of volunteering, Karen enjoys reading and is a full-time data scientist, helping shape education policies. 

Thank you to Karen and our many volunteers across Southern California helping Chrysalis clients find, prepare for, and retain jobs!

Become a Volunteer

The post Volunteer Spotlight: Karen first appeared on Chrysalis.

Direct Hire team members like Jessi facilitates communication between Chrysalis clients and our hiring partners. Through the program, clients benefit from ongoing support from the time they submit their job application, receive a job offer and accept it, to when they are onboarded and embracing their new position. For Jessi, their role is a chance to advocate for clients who may not meet the listed job requirements – on paper – but possess key transferable skills. Through open communication with the employers, Jessi pinpoints exactly what employers seek, while advising and advocating for our clients, offering an advantage compared to when job seekers apply on their own.

Recently, Jessi worked with a client who wanted to enter the nonprofit sector but didn’t meet a requirement listed in the job description: a diploma or GED. Working with The Good Seed, Jessi supported the client through the interview process by highlighting the ways in which the client was qualified for the role. Thanks to Jessi’s advocacy on behalf of the client, they ended up securing the position as a case manager.

“You’re going to have a lot more losses before you have wins.” Jessi shares, “It’s not just the wins, but supporting our clients on the valleys as well as the peaks. That makes seeing them getting a job that much sweeter.”

A typical day in the office for Jessi starts with checking messages from clients and employers. If Jessi receives a referral, they call the client and discuss if a job is the right fit. They consider commute times, education requirements, and interview availability. If the opportunity doesn’t match, it’s never a “no” when working with Jessi, and they’ll always find other opportunities for them. They also follow up with the clients who have interviews by assisting them with transportation plans, printing out copies of their resumes, or preparing them with a practice interview.

“I have always been interested in building a community in an otherwise alienating city. It really motivates me to be in a community with my clients and coworkers. Working towards racial, gender, and queer justice is very important to me.” Jessi says, “I’ve been in that position before and I want to share knowledge and resources and power.”

Outside of work, Jessi can be found spending a night out in repertory theaters watching movies in 35 mm film. As a literarian, they enjoy writing poetry and short stories, as well as collecting vinyl and playing video games.

Become a Hiring Partner

The post Staff Spotlight: Jessi first appeared on Chrysalis.

It’s game day. Maria spots a Dodger blue sports car in the line of vehicles she is processing for parking. As they pull up, she compliments their ride and the driver, beaming, heads into the lot at Chavez Ravine. 

As an SP+ cashier and ambassador at Dodger Stadium, Maria cherishes the opportunity to greet fans with a smile and facilitate an efficient parking experience for game goers. The interactions – although brief – lift her spirits and those of the patrons she serves.

During the height of the pandemic, Maria exited retirement due to the rising cost of living in Los Angeles. Despite years of work history in administration and massage therapy, she worried about her ability to secure employment due to previous challenges with her mental and physical health.

“My rent was only going to continue to go up. I’m disabled…who’s going to hire me?”

Over a decade ago, Maria was struck from behind by a cyclist while walking to the beach where she lived in Hawaii. In that moment, she bounced back up, said a few choice words to the individual, and continued on her way. But after returning to LA, long-term effects finally surfaced from the head injury that she had sustained, and they affected how she was showing up for herself, her family, and at work.

“I ended up homeless for a little while. Fortunately, my children never stopped caring about me.”

With the support of her children, Maria was connected to affordable housing options and mental health resources that helped her find stability and heal. 

Determined to cover the rising cost of her rent and other bills, she exited retirement and turned to Chrysalis for help securing work. 

“Chrysalis has been a life changer for me. They gave me the support that I needed to get a job and keep a job.”

At Chrysalis, Maria completed our job-readiness program within a month. She updated her resume with the support of her Employment Specialist, accessed professional attire from our resource room, was referred to a disaster relief position supporting unhoused individuals during the pandemic in 2020, and was later connected to an administrative role at a massage therapy company. 

When the company closed that location, Maria kept going. While attending a job fair at the recommendation of her Chrysalis Employment Specialist, Maria engaged with SP+ and was hired on the spot.

“No matter how hard it gets, don’t give up. I’m amazed at the new Maria, I really am!”

Today, Maria expresses immense gratitude for her children, Chrysalis, and others for their support throughout her journey. She celebrates being in good health, having steady income and stable housing, and encourages others to never give up – no matter how hard it may get. “I’ve put down roots in the community. I feel really good about where I live. I love my job!”

The post Success Bells: Maria first appeared on Chrysalis.

Chrysalis Roads is a division of our employment social enterprise that employs individuals on parole or active probation who have exited the justice system. As an individual with a history of involvement in the carceral system and substance use, Robert can relate to feeling like the barriers to starting over are insurmountable. 

Robert became a father as a teenager. He dropped out of high school, worked two jobs to provide for his family, and was faced with a painful separation from his son’s mother three years later. After turning to illegal ways of making money, he became substance dependent as a means to cope. He shares that turning himself into the police was the first step to getting sober and changing his life.

From the other end of the inmate phone, his son would say how much he missed him. “That would break me inside,” he reflects. Then, when Robert’s mother was faced with various life-threatening illnesses, he shares, “Every day I was in there, I was praying, please Lord don’t take her. I knew that was enough. My family needed me.” From that point on, Robert was determined to work on becoming the best version of himself that he could be.

“If it wasn’t for Chrysalis, I don’t know where I’d be right now.”

Robert was referred to Chrysalis by his parole officer. He beams when he talks about working with a volunteer on his first professional resume. After completing our job-readiness classes and learning the basics of hard and soft skills, interviewing, and more, Robert secured an entry-level position at a local restaurant chain. As the months went by, he accepted numerous promotions and went on to manage two locations. In another moment of need, his Chrysalis Employment Specialist connected him with funds to replace his broken refrigerator.

Robert was eventually referred to a transitional job with Chrysalis Roads. After four short months, he was promoted, and another six months later, he accepted a permanent position with Chrysalis as a supervisor. Today, he supports the business division by filling in to supervise crews that provide landscaping services from the San Fernando Valley to Orange County. When not out in the field, Robert manages logistics and ensures that vital administrative duties are complete.

“I stay positive, I work as hard as I can at my job, and I just try to be the best me I can be.”

Robert’s optimism uplifts those around him. He urges, “Stay positive. Work hard. Be patient. If you’re really dedicated, you’ll get there.” Today, he celebrates five years of sobriety, being present and providing for his son, mother, and family, and continues to impact the lives of those with whom he works.

It’s late afternoon. As the crew comes back together to clock out and say their goodbyes, Robert is approached by the individual from earlier in the day – only this time, they are smiling and encouraged. A brief thank you and a handshake later, Robert heads home to his family knowing that he did his part.

And that is why it’s so much more than a job.

The post Success Bells: Robert first appeared on Chrysalis.

Last month, Monte was nominated for the Spirit of Volunteerism Award for his extraordinary work in helping conduct mock interviews for clients, resulting in multiple successful hires. Additionally, Monte was handpicked to spearhead a pilot program with our Volunteer & Program team, aimed at fostering greater communication between Chrysalis Staffing clients and volunteers. Monte was chosen because of his history of providing valuable feedback, and he will soon introduce the program to other volunteers.

“I love seeing clients grow as individuals. Watching them face their employment challenges is a joy to witness.”

When Monte isn’t chasing after his six grandkids or traveling with his wife of 49 years, he finds solace in nature. He feels energized by standing in rivers and casting his fly line to catch rising trout.

The post Volunteer Spotlight: Monte first appeared on Chrysalis.

While incarcerated, Maurice worked – earning just $3.35 an hour – for nearly 15,000 days of his life.

41 years  |  492 months  |  14,965 days  |  359,160 hours

Despite the skills and work experience he gained while serving time, he struggled to find work for five months after his release. That’s when one of our transitional workers told him about Chrysalis. Maurice immediately enrolled in our program and worked closely with his Employment Specialist to build a resume and practice for interviews.

Not long after, Maurice was hired in a transitional role with Project Roomkey. He later went on to accept a street maintenance position with Chrysalis Works and was eventually referred to LA:RISE. Through that program, he received a laptop, transportation assistance, and job leads outside of our employment social enterprise.

“I got out of prison and needed the help, and ya’ll were there for me. I didn’t know what I was gonna do. It’s been a true blessing to be in your program.”

Today, Maurice is a maintenance worker and driver for Upward Bound House, a nonprofit dedicated to eliminating homelessness among families with children. Day to day, this involves tasks ranging from ensuring that their housing facilities are clean and up to State requirements to assembling cribs and delivering candy to children of residents on Easter Sunday. 

While incarcerated, Maurice prayed for two things: mercy and grace. He has made amends for past events and celebrates that every day presents a new opportunity to move forward. He celebrates having meaningful, stable employment, being housed, and shares that among the greatest blessings he has today are his daughter and wife, who he met shortly after release. Her name is Grace.

His positive outlook and determination to seize every opportunity are palpable. Maurice is a testament to the fact that no one is defined by their past. Rather, they are in control of their perspective and response to their current circumstances. To those who might be navigating a similar situation, he shares, “You need to get your feet wet to succeed. There is help out there for you. You got to try and try again until you succeed.”

 “Chrysalis is the organization that helps the people. They are there for you.”

The post Success Bells: Maurice first appeared on Chrysalis.