Tag: Young Women
-
June 26, 2026
Young mom graduates from Hartford nonprofit’s program that helped her find housing, stability
For Taylish Molina, Roca Hartford has been more than just a learning program — it became family. The 24-year-old mother of three, who has faced homelessness and domestic violence, was among 13 graduates recognized Thursday by the nonprofit’s Young Women’s Program.
-
April 30, 2026
5 for Good: Roca helps young mother reunite with her sons
On a windy day in Chelsea, Aliana Colon attempted to play paddleball with her two young sons, Xzavier and Kaiden. The ball was blown off course after every hit, but the bit of chaos was met with joy. The trio was happy to be together after years of living apart.
-
April 6, 2026
Anti-Gun Violence Groups Host CT Senator For Prevention Roundtable
HARTFORD, CT — The efforts to combat gun violence in Connecticut is hampered primarily by a shortage of reliable, multi-year funding, a panel of advocates and community violence intervention leaders told U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal recently. Blumenthal and representatives from CVI groups held a roundtable discussion on the issue at Roca Hartford, a nonprofit agency that works to engage young people, police and the community to disrupt the cycle of violence.
-
January 23, 2026
How well is CT meeting the needs of incarcerated young women?
More than two years ago, on the heels of allegations of abuse and neglect at a girls’ group home, the Connecticut legislature instructed a group of experts to study services available for girls involved with the juvenile justice system. Now, recent data from the state Judicial Branch has renewed questions about the availability and effectiveness of programs designed to meet the unique challenges young women face in incarceration.
-
December 11, 2025
Many at-risk, young, pregnant women saved from spiraling by Roca, Tufts report says
When a friend introduced Nyajea to Roca, a violence intervention program, she wasn’t interested. “I didn’t want anything to do with any programs,“ she said at an event Roca held on Tuesday at the State House. Nyajea, 22, did not disclose her last name at the event. “I’d had enough as a child being removed from my parents’ custody, going into group homes and then running away. … But my friend knew I was not in a healthy relationship and would need help.”
-
August 16, 2025
Federal grant nixed for Springfield violence intervention program for women
About four years ago, Breasia Mitchell was living at a women’s shelter in Holyoke. She had been in an abusive relationship for years, and shelter staff there referred her to a violence intervention program for young women and mothers at Roca. Though Mitchell credits the program with changing her life trajectory, Roca has less capacity to help young women like her, because the U.S. Department of Justice this spring terminated a grant that brought in about $1 million to the women’s program in Western Massachusetts.
-
August 13, 2025
More than a dozen high-risk young mothers and women graduate from Roca Springfield
Roca, a non-profit organization, has been working for 37 years to help high-risk young women in Massachusetts find safety and stability. “Over the past few years, we’ve seen a steep rise in female-perpetrated violence and incarceration,” said Sunindiya Bhalla, Executive Vice President of Women and 2Gen at Roca. Roca’s three-year million-dollar intervention program is making a way to decrease the rise, despite the U.S Department of Justice deciding to terminate tens of millions of dollars in grant funding for community violence intervention programs.
-
August 13, 2025
Roca students graduate amid uncertainty over program’s future
Wednesday was an important day for several young women, beginning a new chapter in life after graduating from Roca Springfield. But now, the community violence intervention program is at risk itself as grant funding for these programs across the country have been terminated by the Department of Justice.
-
June 16, 2025
Roca Hartford celebrates 22 program graduates
Roca Hartford, a program dedicated to helping young women break cycles of poverty, trauma and violence, celebrated its 2025 graduating class Monday.
-
June 16, 2025
PHOTO: First Graduating Class at Roca Hartford
Roca Hartford celebrated as the first 22 young people graduated.
-
January 28, 2025
Mass. individuals are building stability and achieving goals after experiencing violence and trauma
In Chelsea, Roca supports young people experiencing hardship by using what it calls “relentless outreach.”