BALDWIN HILLS CRENSHAW PLAZA HIRES HOMELESS COMMUNITY TO CLEAN MALL PARKING LOT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE For More Information Contact:
Tracey Roden/Chrysalis (310) 392-4117 ext. 315

EXPERTLY-TRAINED STREET-CLEANING TEAM, CHRYSALIS HELPS UNEMPLOYED TO RE-ENTER THE JOB MARKET WITH STREETWORKS PROGRAM

Chrysalis, a successful Los Angeles-based nonprofit dedicated to employing homeless and economically disadvantaged adults, brings its expertise to the parking lots at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza through its StreetWorks Program. Chrysalis StreetWorks trains, mentors, and employs over 800 of Los Angeles' hardest-to-employ homeless each year through 4-6 month temporary apprenticeships while providing valuable cleaning services for businesses throughout the county including Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza.

Chrysalis currently helps over 1,700 people a year to secure jobs and successfully reenter the workforce. The organization's philosophy that "a steady job is the single most important step in a person's transition to long-term self-sufficiency” has remained the same through out its 21-year history. “Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza believes this program is a great opportunity to help the homeless and less fortunate in our very own community,” says Dianna Scott, Marketing Director for Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. “Chrysalis and Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza want to provide these people with job experience and valuable tools and skills they can use to help create a better life for themselves.”

In addition to its StreetWorks Program, Chrysalis provides critical employment services to nearly 2,300 homeless and impoverished individuals annually through its centers based in downtown Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and the community of Pacoima in the San Fernando Valley. Services include job preparation classes that cover finding job leads, the job interview process, completing applications, and preparing a resume; weekly individual work with assigned Employment Specialists to set plans for finding and retaining employment; referrals to shelters and other social services; and a number of peer support groups

Chrysalis continues to be recognized for its innovative approach to helping homeless individuals become self-sufficient through employment opportunities. Chrysalis received the only Los Angeles special populations grant in 2005 from the California Workforce Investment Act-Governor's Discretionary Fund and was named as a National Demonstration Project in 2003 by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. Locally, Chrysalis was presented with the “Rose Award” from the Downtown Breakfast Club (DBC) as the top social service agency in the downtown community in the past 25 years.

For more information about Chrysalis contact: (310) 392-4117 or www.changelives.org