CENTRAL FALLS – A former assisted living facility within the city will soon be transformed into temporary affordable housing for at-risk women and their children, as well as offer workforce development and educational opportunities among other benefits.
The city along with the Central Falls Children’s Foundation and the Papitto Opportunity Connection announced Friday that it will jointly create a 30-unit affordable living space, called the Jenks Park Residence, to support mothers and children who are at risk of homelessness. The 10,000-square-foot space located across the street from City Hall, the entities said, will provide women and children a rent-stabilized, fully furnished apartment with all utilities included for two years.
The entities said Jenks Park Residence is a culmination of a private-public partnership between the city, the children’s foundation and Papitto Opportunity Connection that started three years ago. They said Papitto Opportunity Connection by the end of this year will have invested more than $2 million in the foundation to improve the health outcomes of local women and children.
The entities also said Jenks Parks Residence is the state’s first primary care medical clinic to address housing in the community by offering access to transitional housing and wrap-around medical services onsite. Dr. Beata Nelken, founder of Central Falls Children’s Foundation and Jenks Park Pediatrics, will oversee the project.
Mayor Maria L. Rivera said in a statement that the city and its residents was devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic and saw firsthand the “the dire need women and children in [the] city have for safe, stable, supportive housing.”
The entities said the project is supported by a $1 million site acquisition investment from the R.I. Housing and Mortgage Finance Corp. Jenks Parks Residence, the entities said, will have a community kitchen with daily evening meals, a library, a children's play area and a computer lab for workforce development. Residents will also access women’s health care, pediatric and mental health services, as well, the entities said.
Additionally, Papitto Opportunity Connection is funding wrap-around services focused on job training, immigration and legal assistance, education opportunities and other services, the entities said.
“Our goal is to give women and children a safe space, where they can receive the support and resources they need to take care of themselves and their families,” Nelken said in a statement. “Providing access to stable housing with quality medical care, and the social services these at-risk populations need, is crucial to the long-term well-being of these families and will create systemic change.”
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
