The Aloft and Element Hotels on D Street in South Boston are the newest, best example of how commercial development, done right, can create a windfall for a community. From its innovative use of Neighborhood Jobs Trust funds to a
When Abdul Barrie founded his own HVAC company, Environmental Systems Engineering, in 2002, he was eager to start drumming up business. “I wanted to be hired because I was capable, not because I was a minority,” remembers Barrie, who is
While Boston’s newest skyscraper, the Millennium Tower, rose higher in Downtown Crossing, the fortunes of Jian “Jenny” Zhen Lao in nearby Chinatown fell further. An immigrant from Guangzhou, China, Lao was laid off in 2015 and spent the better part
At its ribbon-cutting last fall, the Uphams Crossing residential complex was hailed for transforming the site of the long-shuttered St. Kevin’s School into 80 units of much-needed affordable housing. But the success of the St. Kevin’s redevelopment extends well beyond
Young people who participated in Boston’s summer jobs program last year showed greater job readiness skills, higher academic aspirations, and more positive attitudes towards their communities, according to a study released this month by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. Of
Before a room of people interested in economic fairness, John Hickey shared how his family strove from disadvantage to stability. In the 1950s, he said, his Irish immigrant parents were able to buy a house in the city and raise five kids
Communities across the United States have started launching children’s savings account (CSA) programs to help families save for their children’s college futures. But Boston’s CSA program, whose pilot is set to launch in Fall 2016, stands out in an important
The Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development, in partnership with Boston Public Schools, has rolled out the Tuition-Free Community College Plan to help low-income eligible BPS graduates better afford college. The plan, launched June 1st, will pay for up to three years of
Mayor Walsh has announced the creation of the Urban Farming Pathways Initiative, a jobs training program for citizens returning from incarceration. The program, which will be overseen by Youth Options Unlimited (YOU) Boston, will train 25 young people in urban agriculture
Lawrence Brown, 26, needed a hand. When the Boston Center for Youth and Families streetworker program (which works with at-risk youth to de-escalate street violence) met Lawrence, they found a determined young person who needed employment. They referred him to Operation Exit,