FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Children’s Services of Roxbury Named Recipient of $500,000 from Healey-Driscoll Administration for Redevelopment and Expansion of Headquarters
The funding through the Community One Stop for Growth program will help the organization increase services by 25%
BOSTON, MA (October 30, 2024) – Children’s Services of Roxbury (CSR) has received a $500,000 grant from the Healey-Driscoll Administration through the Community One Stop for Growth’s Underutilized Properties Program towards the redevelopment and expansion of the organization’s 50,000 square foot Dudley Street headquarters.
“As one of the largest Black-led nonprofits in Massachusetts with a mission to disrupt the cycle of generational trauma, Children’s Services of Roxbury advocates for and empowers communities that have been historically overlooked and underrepresented. To receive this funding for our new headquarters – a parcel of land designated as underutilized–feels like an appropriate parallel,” said Sandra McCroom, president and CEO of CSR.
Once completed, the new headquarters will allow CSR to increase its program reach by 25%, serving 7,500 children and families annually with access to wraparound services in the areas of behavioral health; early education and childcare; intensive foster care and family support; housing and stabilization; and youth development. The renovation will also drive economic growth in Roxbury and beyond by creating 190 new, permanent jobs for local residents in mental health and other urgently needed human services. CSR is a major Roxbury employer, with over 400 employees.
“This generous funding from the Healey-Driscoll Administration through the Community One Stop for Growth will be essential to ensuring CSR and the communities that receive our culturally congruent wraparound services remain rooted in Roxbury, preventing any further displacement of families of color and increasing the access to the resources they need to thrive,” McCroom said.
The administration announced more than $161 million for 313 grant awards to support local economic development projects in 171 communities across the Commonwealth. A full list of awardees can be found here.
In addition to actively partnering with the city and state, CSR is expanding its circle of corporate partners, donors and friends to support children and families and to tackle the racial divide that leads to systemic injustices. CSR believes that together we can expand access to opportunity and change the trajectory of Massachusetts’ young people. To learn more about CSR visit www.csrox.org.
###
About Children’s Services of Roxbury
Children’s Services of Roxbury (CSR) is celebrating 50 years of providing wraparound services for children and families that include family shelter, culturally responsive behavioral health services, foster care and family support services, early education and childcare, and youth development programs. CSR is one of Massachusetts’ largest Black-run nonprofit organizations, led by a Board and staff that represent the diverse communities it serves. CSR’s services and programs demonstrate practices that break the cycle of systemic racism for future generations and empower families and young adults on their journey from poverty to stability and wealth-building.
About the Community One Stop for Growth
The Community One Stop for Growth is a streamlined application process overseen by the Executive Office of Economic Development (EOED) that provides easy access and opportunities for cities and towns to apply for 12 state grant programs administered by EOED, the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, and the quasi-public agency MassDevelopment. Programs in the One Stop offer direct funding and support to economic development projects related to community capacity building, planning and zoning, site preparation, building construction, infrastructure, and housing development. To learn more about the One Stop, visit www.mass.gov/onestop.