Legal Assistance

Location

NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH UNIT:

20 Vine Street, Charlestown MA 02129                                                                                 617-343-4345

Director, Carolyn MacNeil, MacNeilC.bpd@cityofboston.gov                                    

Program Coordinator, Wallace Tilford, TilfordW.bpd@cityofboston.gov

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IMPORTANT POLICE PHONE NUMBERS:

EMERGENCY: Police, Ambulance, Fire                                                                                                  9-1-1

Crimestoppers 24 hour anonymous crime reporting                                                   800-494-TIPS (8477)

100% Anonymous crime reporting via text messaging                                                  Text “Tip” to crime (27463)

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DISTRICT C-11 POLICE PHONE NUMBERS:

40 Gibson St., Dorchester, 02122                                                                                            617-343-4330 

Commander Captain Richard Sexton                           

Community Service Supervisor            Sgt. James Doyle                                                                     617-343-4339

Community Service Officer                                                                                                      617-343-4524

Youth Service Officer                                                                                                                617-343-4524

Senior Response Officer                                                                                                          617-343-4524

Domestic Violence Advocate                                                                                                  617-343-4786

Youth Advocate                                                                                                                                    617-343-5382

Vietnamese Liaison                                                                                                                  617-436-7057

Vietnamese Liaison                                                                                                                 617-436-7057

CapeVerdeanLiaison                                                                                                              617-343-6418

Drug Sergeant                                                                                                                        617-343-4819

Abandoned Auto                                                                                                                      617-343-4314

Auto Investigator                                                                                                                     617-343-4314

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OTHER LAW ENFORCEMENT RESOURCES:

District Attorney Dan F. Conley’s Office                                                                                                617-619-4000

SuffolkCountySheriff's Department                                                                                        617-635-1100

BostonSchoolPolice                                                                                                                617-343-5526

MBTA Police                                                                                                                              617-222-1212

State Police                                                                                                                              617-740-7600

BostonHousing Authority Police                                                                                              617-423-1212

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CITY HALL RESOURCES:

Mayor’s 24 Hour Hotline                                                                                                        617-635-4500

Animal Control:                                                                                                                     617-635-5348

Inspectional Services:                                                                                                                                                             617-635-5300

Neighborhood Coordinators, Mayor’s Liaisons                                                                    617-635-3485 

Neighborhood Coordinator: Dorchester: Christopher English-Chris.English@cityofboston.gov       

Neighborhood CoordinatorN. Dorchester: Walter Apperwhite-Walter.Apperwhite@cityofboston.gov       

Location

Location

September 17, 2009 The Bay State Banner

The typical quiet of Glendale Street in Dorchester was replaced last Saturday with a flurry of activity. As the rain poured down outside, workers inside Putnam Place, located at 78 Glendale Street, were busy sanding the walls. A squadron of Northeastern University students stood at the ready, armed with paint brushes in the building’s foyer, while others worked in the building’s dilapidated basement. The renovation work was aimed at revitalizing Putnam Place, which houses young males between the ages of 15 and 22 who have either “aged out” of the state’s foster care system — meaning they’ve reached the age where the system will no longer cover the costs of caring for them — or who have just grown exhausted of it. Run by local nonprofit Cambridge Family and Children’s Services (CFCS), the home attempts to teach residents life skills and ease the transition into independent living. With limited funds to keep the place running, the basement had fallen into disrepair. Sewage and flooding had damaged the floor and a slew of makeshift workspaces dotted the area. At least, that’s what the rooms had looked like before Tsoi/Kobus & Associates, a Cambridge-based architectural design firm, got involved. The refurbishing of Putnam Place — a pro bono project that was one year and more than $150,000 in the making — creates a safe and inviting space for the six boys who inhabit it, according to the firm. The art and design all centers on the T, the theme chosen by Putnam’s residents. When workshops were held with the youth to discuss how the space should look, the public transit system eventually emerged as the visual choice, as it serves as a connection to their Cambridge roots. Signs for a mock Putnam Place T stop, a shelving structure shaped like the front of a train car, and brightly colored rooms of orange, blue and red all convey the theme. “They really came up with the concept on their own,” said Rick Kobus, one of the principals of the architectural design firm that helmed the project. While the renovated basement does include unique flourishes like the woodworking and studio setups, Putnam Place’s focus remains basic — providing the young inhabitants with positive role models and teaching them staple skills for independent living that some people may take for granted. Staff members present around the clock teach residents how to handle necessary tasks like ironing clothes, planning meals and opening a bank account. Mossaides, who has run the nonprofit for the past year, stressed that young men, particularly in this high-risk age group, need the connection and support that a home like Putnam Place can provide. “For most of them, they leave [foster care] at 18 and they’re on the street,” she said. “These are the Commonwealth’s children … they don’t stop being our kids because they reach the age of 18.” Those who do age out tend to face serious obstacles, and the outcomes can be grim. A 2007 fact sheet published by the National Foster Care Coalition noted that 46 percent of young people who age out do not earn a high school diploma, and that 98 percent do not earn a bachelor’s degree. More than half are unemployed, 30 percent do not have health insurance and one-fourth have been homeless at some point. The unique age group the home services represents an often ignored population. In fact, Mossaides said, Putnam Place and its counterpart, the Teens Learning Choices Girls Program in Malden, Mass., which houses female foster youths, are the only independent living homes in the Greater Boston area. Jeffrey Prophete has worked at Putnam Place as a case manager for nearly a year. With a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Northeastern and experience as a community field coordinator in the Boston Public Schools, Prophete is no stranger to how difficult it can be for students to overcome the disruptions that sometimes arise in the foster care system. “They move from program to program or home to home,” Prophete said. “They’re not able to ground themselves.” He stressed that the system lacks opportunities to teach life skills or utilize socialization techniques on many foster youth. “There’s a big gap that all these kids fall through,” Prophete said. “What are you doing about it?” That question spurred Rick Kobus to action. A year ago, his architectural design firm, Tsoi/Kobus & Associates, was celebrating its 25th anniversary, and were looking to mark the event with a pro bono building project. The resultant changes were exciting to Sean Wilson, 18, who has lived at Putnam Place for almost a year. In his spare time, Wilson enjoys woodworking and plans to make use of the basement’s new studio — not to mention the big-screen television waiting in the living room. “I can’t wait ’till it’s finished,” he said, before dashing off to help paint the walls. As a part of the residents’ life skills development, they have to take turns cooking dinner for the group. But what many consider a necessary evil, Wilson saw as place to experiment and create. “I usually make burgers or steaks; whatever I see interesting when I work at Stop & Shop,” Wilson said. “I made two cakes here once, but they came out like Jell-o.” Wilson seems undeterred by the occasional dessert flop, and said he plans to study culinary arts at Bunker Hill Community College once he completes the college’s general education requirements. Kobus said the Putnam Place project, which took longer than expected and cost more than calculated, hit a rough patch last year as the economy plunged downward. Vendors stressed by finances had to renege on promised supplies, and the costs of the pro bono project began to mount. “But you know, we never hesitated,” Kobus said. “You have a group of boys here who have not had an easy life … we’d like to give them the kind of support they deserve.”