Last week, Santa Monica Place Mall put itself out in the forefront of the local business community and became a leader in social responsibility. One of the country’s largest retail mall owners put homeless people to work.
Macerich Co., which owns the Santa Monica Place Mall, partnered with Chrysalis, a local non-profit organization that employs homeless individuals. The “StreetWorks” program provides cleaning and maintenance services throughout the mall property.
It takes a real leap of faith for a corporation to put its resources in people who have criminal backgrounds, past drug addictions and those who haven’t held a job in years, or in some cases, decades. But what Macerich and Chrysalis are doing is giving those individuals a second chance, and deservedly so. If they want to work, they should be able to. And if they don’t, they shouldn’t be here.
Macerich serves as a model for other local businesses. If this community really wants to end homelessness, other businesses will step up to the plate and partner with Chrysalis, an effective organization that actually gives the down-an-out an opportunity to make money, gain their self-esteem back and obtain self-sufficiency.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 30, 2005. Read the original PDF.