Our History

Chrysalis is started by 22-year-old John Dillon, who uses his own money to open the center in Skid Row across from the L.A. Mission. What begins as a food and clothing distribution center quickly grows into the first employment program to serve individuals experiencing homelessness.

Chrysalis is honored for its work at a black-tie gala in Beverly Hills and awarded its first major gift of $5k with support from Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley.

Chrysalis is named beneficiary of the first annual Run for the Homeless, which brings together runners and Chrysalis clients to raise funds, awareness, and media attention.

Labor Connection, known today as Chrysalis Staffing, is created to provide temporary jobs for clients. This innovative employment social enterprise model is one of the first of its kind in the country.

Chrysalis’ Downtown center moves to 516 S. Main St.

Amid a growing demand for services on the Westside, Chrysalis opens a center in Santa Monica. A second employment social enterprise is created. Street Works, now known as Chrysalis Works, employs clients in street maintenance jobs in Los Angeles County.

Chrysalis’ Santa Monica center moves to a larger building to accommodate three times the number of clients

In partnership with the Junior League, Chrysalis launches an annual Women’s Empowerment Program. For two decades, volunteers support clients as they regain their confidence and acquire the necessary skills to reenter the workforce and achieve their goals.

With a rising demand for services in the San Fernando Valley, Chrysalis opens its third center in Pacoima. The center offers its entire curriculum in both Spanish and English to ensure accessibility of a larger Spanish-speaking client base.

The first annual Chrysalis Butterfly Ball is held at a private estate in Beverly Hills. The event honors leaders in the entertainment industry and raises $400k in its inaugural year.

The Charles Stewart Mott Foundation selects Chrysalis’ temporary staffing agency as a national model of a successful solution to returning the hardest-to-employ to the workforce.

A gift from Alan Long allows Chrysalis to purchase and expand its Santa Monica center. The new space provides double the square footage. Chrysalis receives the “Rose Award” as the top social service agency in Downtown L.A.

Chrysalis receives Bank of America’s Neighborhood Excellence Initiative award for its efforts toward strengthening the community.

The economic downturn leads to a 40% increase in the number of new people coming to Chrysalis. Despite the strain on staff and facilities, not a single person is turned away.

A five-year strategic plan is approved by the Board, which includes curriculum enhancements, including specialized workshops, a scholarship fund, and more computer and customer service training.

The annual Chrysalis Butterfly Ball celebrates its 10th anniversary. Today, the event is widely regarded as one of the top events in L.A., routinely raises in excess of $1.5m, and is attended by more than 700 guests.

Chrysalis completes a $2m expansion and renovation of its Downtown center. The new facility adds additional classrooms, computer stations, and offices. Within the first three months of reopening, clients served increases by 36%. Chrysalis is named Nonprofit of the Year by the Los Angeles Business Journal.

A $1m+ relocation of the San Fernando Valley center doubles the amount of client resource space to better serve the growing population in need of Chrysalis’ services in the Valley.

Updates to the core curriculum job readiness classes are implemented, and job retention is tracked for the first time. Data reveals that 75% of clients reached were still working at the 6-month mark, a critical milestone for long-term job retention.

We prepare to launch a new five-year strategic plan. Thirty staff and board members spend 710 hours over nine months developing the plan and gathering data to help us set a goal to double job outcomes by 2021! A third employment social enterprise, Chrysalis Roads, is launched through a partnership with the L.A. Mayor’s Office of Reentry and Caltrans, which employs individuals on active supervision in freeway maintenance jobs.

During the first year of Chrysalis’ 2017-2021 strategic plan, Chrysalis sees a 57% increase in participation in its transitional jobs program.

After three decades of changing lives through jobs in Downtown Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley, and Santa Monica, Chrysalis opens a fourth center in Orange County – our first location outside of L.A. County! More Roads crews are launched, and a partnership with the Butte County Office of Education allows us to create freeway maintenance transitional jobs for clients in Orange County.

Made possible through a collaboration between the Los Angeles County Probation Department and the Office of Diversion and Reentry, a first-of-its kind community center opens in South Los Angeles to reentry citizens and community members. Chrysalis in invited to provide employment services in the new space alongside community partners focused on housing, legal aid, substance treatment, and more.

In March, Chrysalis transitions to remote work and services due to COVID-19 safety precautions, facilitating classes and one-on-ones virtually. Through an individualized approach and added support, Chrysalis is still able to be there for over 4,800 individuals accessing in-person and remote services. And, thanks to our COVID-19 Relief Fund, Chrysalis distributes nearly a million dollars in emergency aid directly to clients for rental assistance, utility bills, groceries, transportation expenses, and more.

After maintaining housekeeping and safe storage (Bin) contracts for many years as a division of Chrysalis Works, we officially spin these services off into its own business line in 2021. Safekeeping is a division of our employment social enterprise that provides clients with housekeeping work in various settings as well as janitorial and customer service jobs at three free, safe storage facilities, where housed and unhoused patrons can store and access their personal property.

Our 2022-2023 Strategic Plan is launched, focused on engaging with our Chrysalis community to create a more sustainable and inclusive culture, enhance our programming and infrastructure, and expand into more communities. Still navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, we increase in-person services, solidify the fourth division of our employment social enterprise, and grow Chrysalis Roads in Orange County.