ANAHEIM — On a normal workday, the five guys in long-sleeved orange T-shirts would be out on a freeway shoulder or embankment in Los Angeles County, picking up debris, clearing brush, trimming trees, or perhaps clearing the remains of an abandoned homeless camp.
Instead they were the special guests Tuesday, Nov. 13, for a ribbon cutting ceremony attended by about 200 invitees to welcome the Chrysalis Orange County employment-assistance center that will serve homeless and impoverished people in need of jobs and better wages.
The men all belong to one of the 10 “Roads” program crews who work for Caltrans through a partnership with Chrysalis, a long-time Los Angeles-based nonprofit that focuses on the struggle to overcome barriers that get in the way of finding and keeping a job. A local Roads crew is among the social enterprise efforts and other employment services that Chrysalis is bringing to Orange County, its first foray in opening an office outside of L.A. County. Other locations are in downtown LA, Santa Monica and the San Fernando Valley.
Guest speaker Justin Graber, a roving supervisor for the Chrysalis-staffed Caltrans road crews, told his story of becoming self-sufficient to the 200 or so people assembled for a sneak peek at the newly refurbished suite of offices at 290 S. Anaheim Blvd., near city hall.
Graber, 42, wearing a neon safety vest over his orange shirt, said he became a gang member at the age of 14, engaging in drugs, violence and what he described as “the wrong mentality.”
He was homeless and addicted to drugs, living in an encampment under a freeway when he became so hopeless he tried to set on fire the pile of trash he called home by dousing it with gasoline.
Luckily for the person sleeping beneath the pile, it didn’t catch. But Graber spent two years in prison, where he heard about Chrysalis. Soon after his release in 2017, he visited the organization’s downtown LA office.
He was soon hired for a Roads crew and within a few months became an operations supervisor.
Chrysalis helped Graber with bus fare and clothing, provided legal advice and helped him get his drivers license, along with other assistance.
But what was most important, he said, was “the people who truly understood and cared — a place where I actually felt like I belonged and had a purpose.”
Road to self-sufficiency
The office welcomes any adult in Orange County who is homeless, unstably housed, or struggling on a low income but seeking employment opportunities to become self-sufficient.
Services include job prep classes, work on resumes and interview skills, mental health counseling and support groups and wardrobe help.
Chrysalis says it has served 60,000 individuals since its start in 1984, distributing clothing and food in downtown Los Angeles.
It last opened a new office 17 years ago. Part of its five-year strategic plan is to double the number of clients it serves.
A chance meeting between Anaheim’s outgoing Mayor Tom Tait and Chrysalis president and chief executive officer Mark Loranger at a business conference in Palm Springs nearly two years ago led to the group coming to Anaheim.
Tait likened Chrysalis to “social infrastructure,” adding that “everybody in our city is with you.”
The ribbon cutting was a chance for Chrysalis to introduce itself to city and county officials, supporters that included representatives from Disneyland Resort — a financial donor to the Anaheim effort — and advocates who work with the local homeless population.
Staff at Chrysalis O.C. officially begin working with clients today, Wednesday, Nov. 14.
No appointment is necessary to visit the Chrysalis staff and engage in services.
Office hours are Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with a one-hour lunch break noon to 1 p.m. Friday hours are 8 a.m. to noon. A bank of 12 computers is available for job searching.
Until word of mouth can spread, the organization is relying on such well-established Orange County homeless services providers as Mercy House and City Net to steer people their way.
Anaheim homelessness
The city of Anaheim made the office space on the ground floor of the building at the corner of Anaheim Boulevard and Broadway available to Chrysalis for a nominal annual rent of $1 for the next two years.
Disneyland Resort contributed $600,000 to the Orange County operation. The largest employer in Orange County is in talks with the organization on perhaps establishing job opportunities for Chrysalis clients.
The resort is also providing support through its Disney VoluntEARS program and staff who will offer job coaching and other expertise.
Last year, Chrysalis helped more than 1,700 people land a job, according to the organization. The goal in Anaheim is to assist 1,000 a year.
Whenever a client finds employment, they get the chance to ring the handheld “Success Bell” that sits in the lobbies of Chrysalis offices.
“The bell in this lobby is shiny and new, and I hate that,” Loranger said in his remarks Tuesday. “We’ve got to get this bell busy.”
