WORCESTER, Mass. – A local organization dedicated to helping young people aging out of foster care celebrated a big milestone on Thursday as Meryl’s Safe Haven cut the ribbon on its new three-story home.
What You Need To Know
- Meryl's Safe Haven opened a new home for young adults transitioning out of foster care in Worcester on Thursday
- The organization also provides emergency assistant, case management and mental health care
- Dr. Tasia Cerezo, co-founder, named the organization after her late aunt
- Although the ribbon-cutting ceremony was a major milestone, Cerezo said there's plenty of work ahead
Dr. Tasia Cerezo, the organization’s co-founder, named it after her late aunt, who often spoke about wanting to open a home for young adults leaving foster care with nowhere to turn.
For Cerezo, seeing that vision come to life on Thursday was a special moment.
“When I waked into these doors, it felt like community,” Cerezo said. “It felt like a space that was really welcoming, and when young people walk in that door, that’s what they’ll feel as well, that they have people they can lean on.”
While cutting the ribbon marked the culmination of months of work, Cerezo also said the mission is just beginning for Meryl’s Safe Haven.
When people who grew up in a foster home turn 18, the prospect of beginning their adult lives can be daunting, and there hasn’t always been a support system to lean on. She’s excited this safety net is now in place for former foster children to process where they’ve been, where they are and where they’ll go.
“Unfortunately, that population often has also experienced trauma, and they’ll be able to come in and talk about those experiences, connect with people who have had similar experiences and know that they're not alone,” Cerezo said. “This is also a lot of laying the foundation of education, career, financial stability. That's what we're doing.”
The broad showing of support at Thursday’s celebration from elected leaders, donors and other community members was also encouraging for Cerezo, and shows her efforts to start a dialogue about this issue in the community is paying off in a relatively short span of time.
“We are so grateful to have the city of Worcester behind us to do this work, but to also hear from so many that it's a necessary part of the work that needs to be done in the city,” Cerezo said. “And so it's one thing to say, ‘Yes, we support you,’ but it's another thing for them to show up in the ways that they did today for this ribbon-cutting.”