September 17, 2004
Mayor Menino, Local Dignitaries Break Ground for new Catholic Charities' Yawkey Center

Mayor Thomas M. Menino, Regional Bishop John Boles of the Archdiocese of Boston, John Harrington, Executive Director and Trustee for the Yawkey Foundations and other local dignitaries today broke ground for the new Catholic Charities' Yawkey Center at 179 Columbia Road, Dorchester. The center should be completed by the fall of 2005.

"The Yawkey Center will be a vibrant addition and an invaluable resource for this neighborhood," said Mayor Menino. "I look forward to this vacant lot becoming a spectacular facility offering a wide array of programs for families in Dorchester."

As part of Catholic Charities' strategic plan, the new Yawkey Center will bring together two existing Dorchester service centers, the Haitian Multi-Service Center (HMSC) located at 12 Bicknell Street, with Catholic Charities' Greater Boston Community Service Center located at 35 Bird Street. This new facility is expected to improve service delivery in the area. It will offer child care, family counseling and support services, youth services, elder care, perinatal and young parent services, AIDS counseling, vocational readiness, adult education and literacy services, and health education.

"The new Yawkey Center is part of our long-term plan to improve the quality of the facilities through which we deliver services to children, youth, and families, including older adults," said Rev. J. Bryan Hehir, president, Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of Boston. "The coming together in one location of Catholic Charities' Haitian Multi-Service Center and our Bird Street family service programs will not only enrich both entities, but will result in new, added programming for our Dorchester neighbors."

Mayor Menino and Bishop Boles were also joined by Charlotte Golar Richie, Director, Department of Neighborhood Development (DND) and chief of housing; State Representative Marie St. Fleur; and local residents.

The building of this center was made possible in part by a recent $5 million donation from the Yawkey Foundation. The project, with an estimated cost of $10 million, is also being financed through a capital campaign as well as other private funding.

"The Yawkey Foundation's Board is delighted to support the establishment of this new center, which will provide improved social services for more than 30,000 Dorchester residents," said John L. Harrington, executive director and trustee of the Yawkey Foundations.

Catholic Charities' Greater Boston Community Service Center has a 100-year history as a child welfare organization and in working with generations of immigrant and refugee populations that have settled in Greater Boston. Today this includes Cape Verdean, Vietnamese, Haitian, Latino, African-American and other Dorchester residents. Catholic Charities frequently partners with the city in creatively responding to the unique needs of our neighborhoods.

Catholic Charities' Haitian Multi-Service Center is the largest social service agency serving the Haitian community in the Greater Boston area. It was established in 1978 by local Haitian community leaders to respond to the specific needs of this growing immigrant population. The HMSC joined Catholic Charities in 1984 and serves clients living primarily in Dorchester, Mattapan, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain and Roxbury.