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From YouTube: Valina N. Jackson Family Center Ribbon Cutting
Description
In Dorchester, Mayor Walsh , Gov. Baker, and Brookview House families celebrate the grand opening of the Valina N. Jackson Family Center, a new $5 million affordable housing complex built for formerly homeless families. The building boasts 12 units of two-and three-bedroom apartments, along with ground floor space for programs and support services.
A
A
I
want
to
thank
everybody
for
coming
out.
I
know
it's
cold
I
want
to
thank
you
for
hanging
in
there.
Today
was
a
special
day
for
us
after
a
few
house,
primarily
because
we
got
to
name
this
building
after
Ms
valina
in
Jackson
valina
was
the
chief
operating
officer
of
for
for
a
free
house
for
almost
20
years.
She
was
also
a
licensed
mental
health
clinician,
Molina,
designed
the
clinical
program
here
at
Brookley
house,
so
health
and
wellness
and
spirituality,
for
what
are
what
Vina
of
what
Molina
was
all
about.
She's,
calm,.
A
A
B
A
A
So
I
want
to
thank
you
guys
as
well.
I
also
want
to
thank
Nixon
Peabody
Chris
frog
was
the
partner
there
and
Christina
ricotta
was
the
associate
and
Chris's
on
the
West
Coast
today,
so
he
couldn't
make
it,
but
they've
been
with
us
since
day,
one
when
this
was
just
an
idea
and
a
concept
and
they
believed
in
us
and
they
contributed
all
their
time,
their
energy
everything
totally
pro
bono,
hundreds
of
thousands
of
dollars.
A
And
Maxwell
was
on
the
board
before
Brook.
You
began
there
over
30
years
ago
and
she
has
been
my
ride-or-die
for
30
years,
no
matter
where
we
had
to
go
no
matter
what
time
we
had
to
be
there,
what
how
late
we
had
to
stay,
how
many
people
we
had
to
harass?
How
many
folks
we
had
to
wrangle
and
was
it?
Did
you
raise
your
hand
and
was
there
with
me
so
I?
Thank
you.
Thank
you.
So
heartily
and.
A
A
That's
how
you
get
into
this
building
and
unfortunately,
we
have
to
do
a
lottery.
There
are
so
many
people
who
need
this
space
to
live
in
this
space,
but
in
addition
to
housing,
we
have
youth
programs
after-school
full
day
in
the
summer
Saturdays
we
do
outdoor
adventure
so
we're
all
in
every
day,
with
the
kids.
It's
about
youth
development,
it's
about
helping
them
graduate
high
school
88%
of
the
kids
graduate
high
school.
A
We're
also
a
city
of
Boston
tech
goes
home
program,
our
programs
at
Brook
you
hear
and
that
the
others
all
of
our
sites
are
open
to
the
community
as
well,
not
just
to
the
residents
who
live
in
our
buildings,
so
they're
open
to
the
community.
So
we
teach
tech
skills
to
the
community
in
collaboration
with
the
city
of
Boston,
we're
also
of
girls
who
code
program
where
we
teach
young
women
how
to
code.
I
just
received
a
summary
from
a
young
woman.
A
A
We
also
have
a
health
and
wellness
program.
We
have
a
clinician
rigid
on
staff,
she's,
also
an
RN,
so
we
come
at
it
full
circle.
It's
both
the
physical
and
the
emotional
health
that
we
address
every
few
house.
So
our
job
is
to
help
folks
improve
their
lives,
improve
the
community
and
give
back
to
the
community
in
to
others.
So
I
want
to
say
my
thank-yous
and
if
I
forget
anybody
I
know
you'll
remind
me
later,
I
want
to
say
thank
you
to
SeaTac
for
being
there
from
the
beginning.
C
B
A
A
A
A
F
F
Russell
home
is
incredible
work
and
he
really
is
a
fighter
and
believes
in
what
he
believes
in
and
that's
important
and
thank
you
to
the
governor
as
well
and
for
their
investment
here.
It's
amazing,
a
strong
city
is
a
caring
community
and
that's
what
we
have
here-
and
this
is
this-
is
an
amazing
place.
I
have
a
bunch
of
notes
in
front
of
me,
but
I
really
I'm
not
going
to
go
through
I'm,
not
going
to
talk
about
the
units
of
housing
in
here.
What
I
want
to
talk
about
is
just
that.
F
Yesterday
we
had
a
meeting
at
the
State
House
with
the
governor
and
mayor's
from
around
Massachusetts
from
eastern
Massachusetts,
and
we
talked
about
the
need
for
more
housing
and
we
talked
the
need
for
more
affordable
housing
and
for
people
in
particular
circumstances,
and
when
you
have
families
that
are
homeless,
and
you
have
mothers
of
the
homeless
and
kids
at
a
homeless.
We
need
to
do
more,
and
I
have
to
say
this.
In
the
last,
in
the
last
five
years
in
Boston
we've
built
thirty-one
thousand
units
of
new
housing.
F
We
permit
another
we're
permitting
another
27,000
units
to
new
housing
with
house
nearly
2,000
homeless
people
since
2014
and
largely
we
did
that
with
the
Federal
Housing
Father.
We
haven't
had
a
federal
housing
pot
in
the
last
three
years
and
this
has
been
putting
the
state
and
the
city
resources
together
and
working
to
come,
be
creative
with
so
many
different
organizations
that
happen
here
and
I
just
want
you
to
know
that
our
commitment,
I,
think
I
can
speak
on
behalf
of
all
of
all
of
the
elected
officials.
F
Here
are
commitments
that
we're
gonna
keep
moving
forward.
Yeah
we're
gonna,
keep
moving
forward,
we're
gonna
keep
breaking
ground.
Let
me
keep
ribbon
cutting
ribbons
and
we're
gonna
keep
building
more
and
more
housing
in
the
city
of
Boston
for
people
that
need
it
and
we're
gonna
be
doing
it
throughout
the
entire
Commonwealth.
The
governor
will
talk,
probably
about
that
we're
doing
it
throughout
the
entire
Commonwealth
and
I.
Just
wanna
I
just
want
to
thank
Brooke
view.
F
If
we
didn't
have
a
Brooke
view,
we
don't
have
an
organization
that
puts
a
complicated
deal
like
this
together,
and
this
is
a
complicated
deal
when
you
think
about
having
money
from
the
city
money
from
this
day,
money
from
spawn
funders
money
from
the
outside
trying
to
pull
it
all
together.
It's
not
a
simple
solution
with
a
private
private
sector.
Just
gets
one
guy
foot
writes
a
check
and
builds
the
housing.
We
don't
have
it
here,
but
we're
gonna
continue
to
build
that
housing
forward.
F
And
to
the
leanest
family
I
saw
the
pride
outside
that
there
are.
There
are
ants
here.
There
are
cousins
here.
There
are
second
cousins
here,
they're
everybody's
here
brother.
Here
you
have
it
all.
You
know
this
is
this.
Is
this
is
my
my
second
event
today
we
recognize
somebody
special,
and
the
first
event
is
that
we
recognize
captain
Holloway
for
her
work
at
Central,
Boston
elder
services-
and
we
here
today
because
this
is
this-
is
more
than
just
a
home.
F
The
woman's
name
on
the
top
of
the
front
door
and
a
picture
inside
is
such
an
important
part
of
our
community.
Her
spirit
lives
on
in
here
in
this
incredible
place
that
so
many
families
gonna
call
home
so
I
just
want
to
thank
the
entire
Jackson
family.
For
for
what
you
do,
what
you
mean-
and
this
is
amazing
day
so.
G
C
Some
tears,
especially
from
family
members
and
there's
not
much
left
to
say
at
this
point.
Okay,
what
I
would
say
is
the
following
projects
like
this
supported
housing.
Projects
like
this
are,
in
fact
a
team
sport
there's
simply
no
way
you
can
put
together.
All
the
elements
are
associated
with
making
a
project
like
this
happen.
C
If
you
don't
have
a
whole
bunch
of
folks
who
bring
a
whole
variety
of
skills
and
capabilities
and
resources
to
the
table
to
get
it
done,
and
there
has
to
be
sort
of
a
captain
team,
and
in
this
particular
case
the
captain
of
the
team
is
brookview,
who
has
demonstrated
time
and
time
again
their
ability
to
play
big.
At
the
same
time,
they
do
things
that
feel
cozy,
which
is
also
a
very
neat
trick
and
I
know:
I
speak
for
myself
and
for
undersecretary
Jenelle
Chen,
who
deserves
a
hand
here.
C
G
C
There
is
there
is:
we
have
done
a
lot
of
terrific
work
with
the
city
and
with
a
number
of
other
organizations,
and
especially
with
a
lot
of
the
residents
here
in
the
city
of
Boston.
We
look
forward
to
continuing
to
be
your
partner
on
a
go-forward
basis,
no
matter
who's
on
either
end
of
the
funding
stream.
Congratulations
and
God
bless.
Thank
you.
C
C
He
is
a
man
of
tremendous
grace,
while
he
is
somebody
who
has
said
over
the
course
of
time.
I've
known
him
when
I
would
describe
is
some
difficult
things
to
me.
He
says
them
in
a
manner
and
in
a
way
that
always
makes
you
listen
and,
and
he's
also
a
really
good
listener.
There's
plenty
of
people
out
there
who
have
great
transmitters
in
public
life
I
know
many
of
them.
D
Thank
you
so
much
governor,
Marty
I
am
mayor,
should
say
so.
He
and
I
obviously
was
certain
the
legislature
together.
So
we
sometimes
forget
that
we
have
to
have
the
right
connotations
one
another
way,
two
very
good
friends,
I
can
just
tell
you
my
wife
and
I
had
dinner.
Would
the
governor
and
his
wife
right
before
they
ran?
D
We
went
out
to
dinner
at
legals
and
when
he
talks
about
just
the
sense
of
joy,
I
can
just
tell
you
he
had
lost
of
race
before
and
he
was
having
some
conversations
about
is
he's
gonna
get
into
the
next
race
and
Sheree
and
I
were
talking
to
him
he
and
Lauren
and
Jess,
and
we
left
legals
that
night,
Sheree
and
I
knew
and
I
said
this
to
him
before.
But
we
knew
at
that
moment
if
he
enters
this
race
and
say
this
humble
and
listens
as
much
as
he
listens.
D
There's
no
way
someone's
gonna
beat
him,
and
so
I
thanked
him
for
getting
to
listen
to
me
because,
as
often
as
Deborah
said,
I
am
kind
of
dogged
on
some
issues,
but
he
listens
and
I
can
tell
you
what
what
I
love
most
about
a
friend
and
I've.
Had
this
actually
happen
this
week,
where
someone
I
had
one
of
those
tough
conversations
with,
and
they
were
there
a
friend
and
I
offended
and
they
I
feel
like
we
probably
don't,
have
a
friendship.
What
I
love
most
about
the
governs?
D
D
So,
let's
give
him
a
hand
please
so
I
would
simply
say
to
you
that
the
mayor's
made
a
comment
that
you,
you
know
what
I
believe
in,
and
he
said
that
and
yes
I'm,
very
clear
about
what
I
believe
in,
but
it's
real
simple
what
I
believe
in
and
it's
you
I
believe
in
my
community.
It
is
a
community
that
has
raised
me.
I
grew
up,
I
live
just
a
couple
blocks
away
from
here.
D
When
I
see
just
a
few
folks
from
our
community
allowed
to
make
an
example
and
a
thought
about
our
entire
community,
I
still
amazes
me
that
wanted
two
percent
of
the
folks.
If
that
is
reflective
of
what
so
many
people
believe
about
Matapan
and
Dorchester,
it's
just
astonishes
me
because
all
you
have
to
do
is
come
here
for
a
moment
just
a
moment
and
see
like
when
you
saw
today
the
family
and
their
joy,
the
tears
of
joy
for
mrs.
Jackson
today
and
in
the
bond
that
she
had
that
she
connects.
D
You
can
just
see
that
the
ABCD
folks,
the
family,
folks,
the
brookview
folks,
they
activists
all
of
all
of
them,
the
church
folks,
all
of
us
together.
It
just
speaks
to
all
of
the
components
of
our
lives
and
miss
Jackson.
Look
how
proud
of
this
room
is.
It
speaks
to
how
much
will
you
all
love
there,
and
we
really
do
appreciate
you
being
here
today.
My
comments
are
going
to
also
be
brief
and
I'm
going
to
my
comments
are
there's
no
way
when
the
Gulf
talked
to
me
last
year.
He
says
you
know.
D
D
D
D
So
what
do
we
have?
We
had
a
contentious
problem
building
this
building,
because
the
neighbors
were
afraid.
They
were
very
afraid
that
we
were
about
to
change
the
culture
of
our
neighborhood,
who
we
are
and
whatever
the
team
says,
is
when
you
build
this
building,
you
will
think
that
it
was
always
here
and
when
you
walk
by
this
building,
you
thought
surely
is
newer
than
every
other
building,
but
you
certainly
see
that
we
did
not
change
the
culture.
D
We
did
not
change
the
streetscape,
it
looks
like
it
belongs
here,
and
you
see
immediately
that
it
raises
the
level
of
this
community
because
it
brought
real
good
housing
that
we
so
badly
need,
and
so,
when
we
have
the
fears
and
when
the
mayor
talks
about
the
31,000
and
we're
going
to
continue
to
do
it,
let
me
just
simply
tell
you
that
we
have
six
bids
that
came
in
for
the
10
acres
across
the
street
and
I
can
tell
you
the
moment.
We
go
out
and
start
talking
about
building
hundreds
of
more
units.
D
D
D
Just
all
the
components
that
some
of
us
take
for
granted,
but
when
you've
been
homeless
and
and
on
the
street,
there
are
some
things
that
you
kind
of
lose
as
habits
and
what
she
and
her
team
does.
Is
they
build
up
folks,
so
they
can
go
out
and
be
productive
people
in
society?
And
that's
why
the
mayor,
the
Gov
and
I
mean
we're
all
here
today,
because
that's
what
we
need
to
be
doing
for
those
who
are
homeless.
Let
me
get
one
more
shout
out
to
the
mayor's
team.
D
D
To
go
to
group,
say
hey:
who
has
money?
Basically,
how
can
we
make
sure
that
we
get
some
money
to
make
sure
that
the
other
brookview
place?
That's
been
there
for
30
years
it
has
wear
and
tear.
How
do
we
get
that
one
up
to
shake
and
shield
and
her
team
made
it
happen?
Deborah
and
the
team
are
coming
together
to
make
that
happen,
and
we
will
see
that
painted
new
roof
and
things
of
that
nature,
because
you
can't
have
one
building
brand
new
in
130
years.
D
D
So
we
agreed
I
will
just
say
Commissioner
Sam
she's
here,
just
because
think
about
this
is
early
head.
We
want
families
to
understand
all
the
components
of
building
out
their
family
with
these
young
folks,
so
they
can
build
strong
family
and
she
comes.
She
hails
from
the
Midwest
Chicago
for
the
last.
She
worked
for
Rahm
Emmanuel,
so
I
said
how'd.
You
come
oh
yeah
how'd.
You
have
not
all
those
f-bombs
all
day,
but
she
said
she's
she's
ready
for
the
tough
work
and
we're.
H
H
G
B
Forward
to
working
with
you
on,
but
yes
thank
you
and
thank
governor
and
mayor
Walsh,
for
leadership
and
and
really
thinking
about
the
potential
that
that
this
agency
has
to
really
even
transform
the
lives
of
families.
I'm
really
excited,
although
new
excited
to
be
here
today
to
celebrate
with
you
and
to
celebrate
with
with
brookview
house
and
opening
this
new
space.
B
It's
it's
not
only
access,
it's
the
quality
of
the
services
that
I
know
that
you
are
providing
and
that
I
have
learned
about
quickly,
as
I
have
gotten
into
the
job.
That
really
makes
not
only
the
services
but
the
quality
environment,
reflecting
the
potential
that
you
see
in
the
families
that
you're
serving
and
I'm
really
excited
to
to
be
part
of
that,
and
the
after-school
programming
that
you're
you're,
providing
here
to
make
sure
that
all
families
have
had
the
full
wraparound
services
that
they
need.
B
In
addition
to
housing
that
the
earlier
the
state's
early
education,
out-of-school
time
program,
I'm
and
thrilled
that
that
could
be
part
of
the
investment.
In
this
new
space.
The
the
capital
fund
has
provided
I,
think
nearly
half
a
million
dollars
towards
this
space
and
so
excited
to
see
to
see
that
come
to
fruition,
the
Fred,
the
miss
about
it
since
2015,
when
it
awarded
its
first
grants,
there's
been
over
five
point:
five
million
dollars
that
have
been
invested
in
the
city
of
Boston
and
four
point.
B
Seven
of
that
in
this
in
these
communities,
so
excited
to
see
that
investment
and
really
seeing
that
that
money
can
transform
the
services
in
the
community
and
provide
an
opportunity
to
have
the
the
facilities
reflect.
The
potential
that
you
see
so
excited
to
be
here
and
for
all
of
the
support
from
the
state
on
the
city
that
that
is
allowing
this
to
come
to
fruition,
I'd
also
like
to
recognize
c-dac.
E
Thank
You
Commissioner
Sam,
and
congratulations
to
the
board
and
staff
of
brookview
house
on
reaching
this
amazing
milestone
of
completing
the
new
brookview
house
3
as
you've
heard
four
young
families.
Two
of
the
most
critical
needs
are
affordable
housing
and
early
education
and
for
c-dac.
These
are
the
two
key
building
blocks
of
a
healthy
community
development
and
they
align
with
our
mission
and
that
of
our
affiliate,
the
children's
investment
fund.
E
Quite
simply,
we
provide
technical
and
financial
support
to
nonprofit
organizations
that
are
developing
affordable
housing
or
early
education
facilities
in
the
Commonwealth
to
have
both
housing
and
out-of-school
time.
Space
co-located
in
this
new
project,
with
additional
drop
in
programs
for
neighborhood
teams
and
on-site
supportive
services,
is
an
innovative
approach
to
help
these
families
get
an
important
start
in
building
their
lives.
Brookview
house
is
continuing
the
successful
model
from
its
two
prior
projects
nearby
and
over
the
next
month.
E
C-Dac
and
the
children's
investment
fund
will
also
celebrate
the
opening
of
two
additional
co-located
projects
with
housing
and
childcare.
The
elizabeth
elizabeth
stone
house
on
mr.
Washington
project
in
watt
Roxbury
and
the
under
one
roof
project
in
New,
Bedford
developed
by
the
YWCA
of
southeastern
mass.
The
parallels
among
these
three
projects
are
important
and
highlight
the
way
governor,
Baker's
administration
provides
funding
to
get
these
projects
built.
I'd
like
to
thank
the
governor
and
his
an
administration
for
improved
for
improving.
C
E
Capital
funding
for
these
programs
and
I
want
to
thank,
as
we
already
have
undersecretary
Chan
for
her
great
work
at
DHCD
and
by
the
way,
sharing
CDX
Board
of
Directors
and
to
Commissioner
Sam.
You
you're
off
to
a
great
start,
we're
thrilled
that
you're
here
to
celebrate
this
opening
and
your
great
team
at
AEC.
E
We
work
with
our
colleagues
at
DHCD
and
the
EC
on
underwriting
and
closing
these
multiple
sources
of
state
capital
funding
and
they
all
come
from
a
housing
bond
bill
that
was
passed
in
the
summer
of
2018.
The
governor
was
remembering
we
were
breaking
ground,
that
was
a
1.8
billion
dollar
housing
bond
bill,
and
these
are
the
dollars
being
deployed
here
at
brookview
house.
E
E
D
So
I
have
mentioned
earlier
about
how
we
are,
as
a
community
I
just
wanted
to
acknowledge
one
of
my
teammates
in
high
school
Tony
Hurston
just
came
in
and
we
played
football
together.
But
if
you
come
out
on
Sundays
or
Saturdays,
when
they
have
an
air
team,
there
I
think
they're
five
and
over
now
right.
It
is
a
beautiful.
D
I
can
just
tell
you
as
a
partner
in
city
and
state
government
is
so
important,
because
so
many
folks
in
the
community
don't
know
the
difference
between
their
calling
when
a
problem
is
city
or
state
or
federal
related,
and
the
fact
that
we
can
be
a
team
and
just
doesn't
matter
if
I
receive
the
issue,
the
city
of
Sheba's
each
issue
in
the
state
we
work
together.
So
so
often,
and
so
our
city
council,
president
Andre,
can.
G
We've
both
had
a
lot
of
loss
in
our
lives
and
the
reason
I
even
do
this
work
is
because
the
loss
of
my
twin
brother,
who
died
eight
years
ago
well
in
the
custody
of
the
Department
of
Correction,
which
oversees
our
prisons,
and
so,
while
we
weren't
homeless
per
se.
We
know
that
families
in
this
district
are
dealing
with
problems
that
often
seem
insurmountable.
But
then
you
have
programs
and
leadership
at
places
like
brookview
and
one
of
the
things
that
was
not
mentioned.
G
That
I
wanted
to
add
to
the
incredible
work
they
do
every
single
day.
It's
not
just
showing
up
with
a
sense
of
compassion,
empathy
and
understanding
and
grace
in
the
work
they're
dedicated
in
providing
housing.
All
of
that,
but
they're
showing
up
on
the
issues
that
we
often
don't
want
to
talk
about,
which
is
homelessness
but,
more
importantly,
domestic
violence.
You
know
sexual
assault,
child
abuse.
We
have
a
hearing
coming
up
at
the
end
of
this
month
and
brookview
has
been
at
the
table
since
the
very
beginning.
G
Talking
about
the
need
for
housing
for
certain
populations,
naming
the
fact
that
homelessness,
the
lead
cause
of
homelessness
in
some
spaces
is
domestic
violence
and
then
wanting
to
do
something
about
that.
These
are
difficult
topics
to
talk
about,
but
they
roll
up
their
sleeves
every
single
day
to
get
work
done
and
I
just
wanted
to
acknowledge
that,
because
outside.
G
G
Is
tremendous
you
know
it
just
warms
my
heart
and
to
miss
Jackson
and
her
legacy
into
the
family.
You
created
this
space
for
those
beautiful
faces
right,
so
thank
you
and
thank
you
to
the
entire
brookview
team
and,
most
importantly,
thank
you
to
the
families
for
literally
showing
up
and
not
only
being
here,
but
leaving
this
space
as
an
example
of
what's
possible
for
other
families
that
continue
to
struggle
with
homelessness
and
other
issues.
That's
equally
important,
so
thank
you
to
the
families
as
well,
and
everyone
really
enjoy
today
and
have
a
blessed
one.
A
Everybody
for
coming
out
today,
don't
you
love
it
when
everybody
just
gets
along
yeah,
that's
because
of
the
spirit
of
valina
in
Jackson.
She
always
brought
positivity
and
she
brought
everybody
together.
So
I
want
to
thank
you
we're
going
to
do
tours.
We
will
be
eating.
There's
food
in
the
other
room,
but
you'll
also
get
a
chance
to
see
one
of
the
unit's
upstairs,
as
well
as
the
rest
of
the
you
space.
So
thank
everybody
for
coming
out.