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December 7, 2006

Apartments for homeless families open in Providence

Journal photo / Mary Murphy
Esteban and Sonia Suero hug in the living room of their new apartment after seeing the apartment for the first time today.

PROVIDENCE -- Crossroads Rhode Island officially opened its new Family Center at 754 Broad St. in South Providence this morning at a ceremony of political leaders, homeless advocates and the families who will live there.

Crossroads purchased the former funeral home and converted it into five apartments for homeless families, plus 15 shelter rooms with access to a communal kitchen, dining and living area, showers and a playroom for children. The $2.3 million project included a $350,000 gift from the Citizens Bank Foundation, for which the center is now named.

After Governor Carcieri cut the yellow ribbon with giant gold scissors, a young couple moving into one of the apartments burst into tears and hugged each other. Sonia and Esteban Suero, who are moving in with their two young daughters, toured their sunny new apartment with wide eyes.

"There's plenty of room for the children to run," Esteban Suero said.

-- Journal staff writer Amanda Milkovits

"This was a building that at one time celebrated the end of people's lives," Mayor David N. Ciccilline said. "And now, we've converted it over to celebrate the beginning of people's lives."

His words were appreciated by Stanley Larson, the former president of the family-owned Juhlin-Pearson Funeral Home, who came to the ceremony to see first-hand the renovations of his family's old building.

"It's fun to be here to see this," Larson said.

Posted by Kate Bramson at 12:25 PM | Permalink

December 7, 2006

Apartments for homeless families open in Providence

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