When Demetrius came to Chrysalis, he had been living in his car for two months after being laid off from his job in the health care industry. Chrysalis’ transitional jobs program was the perfect way for him to regain his sense of self-worth and get back on his feet and onto a pathway to self-sufficiency.

For two years, Demetrius provided customer service at The Bin, a personal storage facility available to those experiencing homelessness throughout LA County. Since then, Demetrius went on to find permanent employment with Managed by Q. Now working full-time, Demetrius is relieved to have a roof over his head and a steady paycheck to cover living expenses so that he can exercise his talent as an artist in his free-time.

Despite all that he has overcome, Demetrius recognizes the need for comprehensive services when it comes to combatting homelessness. In an interview on KCAL 9 News, Chrysalis CEO Mark Loranger talks about why voting yes on Measure H on March 7 is a vital step toward ending homelessness in our community:

 

Key questions covered in the story:

1. What are 3 facts about Measure H?

• Measure H is a countywide plan to end homelessness for 45,000 families and individuals and prevent homelessness for 30,000 within 5 years.
• Measure H offers immediate relief for those experiencing homelessness including street outreach, mental health services, and crisis housing.
• There is no formal opposition to Measure H.

2. What oversight and accountability protections are built in to Measure H?

• The funds can only legally be used to prevent and end homelessness.
• There is a citizens oversight committee to monitor how the funds are spent.
• There is an annual public audit.
• The 1/4 cent tax will end in 10 years, which gives time to evaluate our investment in these programs and make the argument that we should keep doing it.

3. Why do we need Measure H?

Our approach, for decades, has been to manage and contain homelessness.

We’ve never invested significantly in the solutions that work to prevent and end homelessness. We know that permanent housing and supportive services work– and that’s what Measure H does.

4. Aren’t we already spending enough on homelessness?

The money we spending on homelessness is indirectly though our police, fire, and hospital systems. These are not solutions, they are just band-aids.