Job Placement Program Moves to Larger Quarters

Chrysalis, a 3-year-old program that tries to place the chronically unemployed and the homeless in jobs, is moving to larger quarters Thursday at 1837 Lincoln Blvd.

The center tries to attack a lack of education, chronic substance abuse, and domestic violence among the homeless, Santa Monica program director Steve Knight said. “Many clients have self-esteem problems. We help teach them to handle authority.”

The $500,000-a-year program gets about half its funding from the City of Santa Monica and the rest from grants. It has witnessed a 30% client increase over the last year, Knight said.

With welfare programs being cut, “a lot of people on welfare are panicking. They don’t want to become homeless.”

Chrysalis’ main office is located in downtown Los Angeles.

Knight said recent clients include four schoolteachers who became homeless and were placed back in teaching; a former judge who became homeless after suffering a breakdown; and a real estate salesman who lost his possessions to cocaine.