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Mayor Menino, First Lady Diane Patrick and The Home for Little Wanderers Celebrate Opening of Roxbury Village New Program Provides Stable Housing and Support for Young Adults See photos from the ribbon cutting Mayor Thomas M. Menino, First Lady Diane Patrick, and community partners joined The Home for Little Wanderers today for a ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of the child and family service agency’s new Roxbury Village program. After a year-long renovation project, Roxbury Village will provide stable housing and support for young adults aged 18-22. The young men and women who will benefit are about to be discharged from state systems of care, or have already left the system, and currently are or are at risk for being homeless. “Preventing homelessness has been a keystone of my administration,” said Mayor Thomas M. Menino. “Roxbury Village adds important services to help some of the city’s most vulnerable residents. When The Home for Little Wanderers approached me with the idea of opening Roxbury Village near the heart of our Dudley Square revitalization project, we got onboard immediately. Through partnerships like this we can support youth coming out of foster care as they transition to adulthood and navigate the path toward independent living and self-sufficiency.” The Home for Little Wanderers’ President and CEO Joan Wallace-Benjamin agrees. “The opening of Roxbury Village is an example of how The Home is not only providing housing for the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable young people, but preparing them for meaningful and productive lives in the community,” she said. “Roxbury Village marks a new opportunity for a population of young adults who were typically far less prepared for independent living than their peers, having spent much of their lives in the foster care system, bouncing around from different homes and school systems. Nationwide, transitional aged youth are at an extremely high risk for negative outcomes including homelessness, unemployment, incarceration and substance abuse.” “The Patrick-Murray Administration share The Home for Little Wanderer’s commitment to helping people help themselves,” said First Lady Diane Patrick. “We thank Joan Wallace-Benjamin and the staff at The Home for their leadership in helping to create a better Massachusetts for the next generation.” The Home hopes Roxbury Village will serve as a model for other organizations to help the nearly 600 youth who age out of state care each year between the ages of 18-22. Many have never been adopted or reunited with their biological families and very few are fully ready for independent living without additional support and guidance. In addition to stable housing, Roxbury Village offers intensive services, support and community connections to help residents build the resources and skills they need to become self-sufficient, productive adults. Located on Alpine Street in a formerly foreclosed property acquired by Developer L. Duane Jackson of Alinea Capital Partners LLC, Roxbury Village will provide three apartments for nine young people working towards independence. The program will be run by The Home for Little Wanderers, while Alinea Capital Partners will manage the building. Alinea Capital Partners received funding from the Massachusetts Department of Housing & Community Development, the Department of Neighborhood Development (DND) and Century Bank for the acquisition and renovation of the property. The Home for Little Wanderers has raised additional funds from private sources for rent, food and furnishing expenses. Other key community partners and supporters include WCVB-TV, Bernie & Phyl’s Furniture and NEWPRO. See a full list below. About Roxbury Village Roxbury Village Partner Statements Alinea Capital Partners Bernie & Phyl’s Furniture WCVB-TV Thanks to our partners and supporters: |
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