Gathering to celebrate the St. Mary’s Center fundraising kick-off were state Rep. Dan Hunt, Councillor Erin Murphy, New England Council’s Jim Brett, Gov. Healey, President Alexis Steel, Monsignor J. Bryan Hehir, Councillor John FitzGerald, and Board Chair Dustin Sarnoski. Seth Daniel photos
St. Mary’s Center for Women and Children kicked off a fundraising campaign for their plans to build-out a new facility at their Jones Hill campus on Nov. 12 with Gov. Maura Healey joining other elected officials to promote the effort.
With $56 million already committed from donors, the Center kicked off a capital campaign for an additional $30 million buoyed by contributions from the Lynch and Liberty Mutual foundations.
The planned expansion — for 71 units to support new families, doubling the center’s current capacity— has already been approved by the city’s Planning Department.
Healey shared her own story of being raised with four siblings by a single mom in New Hampshire and often needing the help of others.
“We were so lucky, but that was luck and not everyone has that,” she said. “It’s why St. Mary’s is so important and necessary.”
Brenda Rosario, a board member, recalled her own experience at the Jones Hill center more than 20 years ago. A native of the Dominican Republic who had moved to Boston from Puerto Rico, she’d struggled to find her footing in a new city.
Adama Koroma, who lived at the Center before finding her own place, with her son, Javier Deen – who celebrated on stage while she spoke of their positive experience at the Center.
As she stood at the window of Room 25 with her two young children beside her, “I could see the entire skyline of Boston on top of Jones Hill and looking out that window became a key moment in my life,” she said. “I was determined to be part of this city. Today, my family and I are thriving.”
The idea behind the expansion is to serve more like the Rosarios of 20 years past by cobbling together nearly $100 million of public and private money to renovate existing facilities thoroughly and build a new wing.
“St. Mary’s Center worked for me and can work for others, too,” Rosario said. “There is hope and as long as this place is here, so don’t give up. They can move through homelessness; I am proof.”
That moment was accented by testimonials from other participants, staff members, observers, and elected officials from around Dorchester. While a good many in the audience had been born on the Center grounds (it was St. Margaret’s Hospital up until 1989), in recent decades it has become a haven for homeless families, in particular helping women and their children stabilize and then thrive. However, the facilities have become worn, and while the work is revered, investment is needed.
“When I first came through St. Mary’s Center I was blown away by the amazing work they do with mothers and children,” said Dustin Sarnoski, who chairs the board. “What I also noticed was this amazing work was happening in spite of the condition of the program’s facilities.”
Alexis Steel, the center’s president, noted that the Center expanded its supportive housing in 2016, and that the need is so great it’s time for a much bigger investment.
“We see families in need and experiencing deep poverty and homelessness and it’s incredibly heartbreaking; these families have no place to go,” she said.
The event was emceed by Dorchester native Latoyia Edwards of NBC10, with other speakers including The New England Council’s Jim Brett, Planning Office for Urban Affairs President Bill Grogan, Chief of Housing Sheila Dillon, state Rep. Dan Hunt, Councillors John FitzGerald and Erin Murphy, Bryan Spence of Liberty Mutual, Katie Everett of the Lynch Foundation, former resident Adama Koroma, and Monsignor J. Bryan Hehir.
Dorchester native Latoyia Edwards of NBC10. Seth Daniel photo
Board member and former resident Brenda Rosario.
