Gallery - YouthBuild Boston and Partners Transform Abandoned Building and make Homeownership a Reality for Dorchester Family.

Ribbon Cutting – (L to R) Ken Smith , Executive Director, YouthBuild Boston; Taylor Caswell, Regional Dir., HUD; Congressman Mike Capuano; Charlotte Golar Richie, DND, City of Boston; the Sequiera’s daughter; Charles C. Yancey, Boston City Council; Ralph Cooper, Veterans Benefits Clearinghouse; Alice Sequiera (new homeowner); Rep. Liz Malia; Wilfred O. Edwards, Mortgage Development Officer for Sovereign Bank.

Thursday, March 23 2006 - For the Sequiera family, homeownership was always been a dream to put off for the future. Today, homeownership is a reality for this immigrant family. This morning the Sequieras’ opened their home to the public/private partnerships that made their new home possible. These partnerships included YouthBuild Boston, the City of Boston ’s Dept. of Neighborhood Development (DND), the Dept. of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Sovereign Bank, and Bank of America.

The curbside ceremony officially welcomed the Sequiera family to their new home and as new members of the community.

Located in an area that the Boston Globe once referred to as ‘Rock Bottom Boston’ for its crime and neglected properties, Norwell Street is now a proud series of elegant brick townhouses including this one. What the Sequieras now call home, two years ago, was abandoned and uninhabitable. Today, t he three-bedroom home includes elegant hardwood floors, a skylight, and a two story deck.

YBB Trainee - Taylor Caswell, Regional Dir., HUD; Ken Smith , Executive Director, YouthBuild Boston; Matthew Vernege, YouthBuild Boston trainee who worked on rehabilitation project; Charlotte Golar Richie, DND, City of Boston.

The YouthBuild Boston trainees worked for almost a year to bring the building back to life. For the trainees, many of whom never completed high school or were involved in the legal system, their time at YBB was also opportunity to give themselves a second chance.

YouthBuild Boston worked with the DND to secure this vacant, city-owned building to use for its youth education/construction apprentice training program. DND also provided subsidy funding for the rehabilitation work. Bank of America provided the construction financing. Sovereign Bank provided financing to the Homeowner.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) also announced a $700,000 grant for YouthBuild Boston. The HUD grant will help YBB to create affordable housing opportunities in the Boston area and to provide professional training to young adults in its Construction Training Program. Specifically, the funds will enable YouthBuild Boston to train 58 youth and rehabilitate two houses.

The Sequeira family consists of Alice and Paulino and their 3 children, aged 24, 16 & 14. This family migrated from the Cape Verde Islands in 1995 to seek a better life in the United States . The Sequeira’s are a hardworking low-to-moderate income family who have worked multiple jobs over time in order to provide for their family.

City Councilor Yancey speaks with new homeowner, Alice Sequiera – (L to R) Ken Smith , Executive Director, YouthBuild Boston; Taylor Caswell, Regional Dir., HUD; Congressman Mike Capuano; Charlotte Golar Richie, DND, City of Boston; Charles C. Yancey, Boston City Council; Alice & Paulino Sequiera (new homeowners)

Their dream of homeownership became a reality when soon after attending a First Time Homebuyers Seminar sponsored by Sovereign Bank and the Veterans Benefits ClearingHouse, they won a City of Boston , Department of Neighborhood Development lottery for one of the rehabilitated properties in the city. Their good fortune did not end there, for they subsequently qualified for a soft second mortgage loan, the most affordable mortgage in the state, which is heavily subsidized by Massachusetts Housing Partnership Fund using Sovereign Bank as the lender.

 Quotes from the morning’s event:

 “The added attraction is that it is not just houses, it is all about building our community from the inside out, and showing our kids that there are jobs that they can do, that they can learn, and that we value their work..”
- Congressman Mike Capuano

“YouthBuild’s work improves the caliber of the community. It’s an exponential type of program and we are very proud to be a part of it. And that’s why we’re happy to give another $700,000 for next year to continue operating this program.”
-Taylor Caswell, Regional Dir., HUD

“I just want to put the focus on these young people and to encourage our developers to partner with YouthBuild and to make a commitment to hire people from this community. It is one thing to build a community and it is another thing to build a community with its own residents so that everyone can take ownership and everyone can benefit from the tremendous development that is taking place on Norwell Street and throughout Boston .”
- Charles C. Yancey, Boston City Council

“We entered this house, and it was disgusting. There was mold everywhere! The walls had holes in them and the ceilings, dirty dirty dirty.”
- Matthew Vernege, YouthBuild Boston trainee who worked on the rehabilitation project

“My favorite room of the house is the living room with the hardwood floors, and lots of sunlight. This house has the sun shining right through the center.”
- Matthew Vernege, YouthBuild Boston trainee who worked on the rehabilitation project