Liberty House helps homeless youths build foundation
A 10-bedroom “Liberty House” will provide “freedom,” and “stability” for homeless youth, one resident says, as the house-turned-co-op-style apartment was unveiled in Dorchester yesterday.
The property will be run by Bridge Over Troubled Waters, which assists homeless, runaway and at-risk teens and young adults generally up to age 24. The project came from a $1.1 million gift from the Liberty Mutual Foundation.
Jessica Freeman, a 25-year-old Boston native who has experienced homelessness and has been in and out of shelters throughout her teens, said she finally feels like she will “be OK.”
“I came to Bridge Over Troubled Waters from a traumatic and abusive household,” she said. “I was kicked out and I was really unsure of where I was going to go.”
Freeman told the Herald she plans to finish work toward an associate degree in human services and is planning to begin studies toward a bachelor’s degree next year. She also said she is working on getting her own place.
“The biggest thing for myself is that I’m looking for stability and I saw more stability with living here,” Freeman said. “…You have a lot of freedom here.”
She was the first to move into the home. Freeman and others will pay $250 a month in rent and receive support from Bridge Over Troubled Waters as they seek independent living.
“This is great for young people who have experienced homelessness,” Mayor Martin J. Walsh told the Herald. “Really, it gives them a place to kind of call their home and be able to afford to stay in the city of Boston and get young people back on their feet.”