News

Read this article in the Boston Herald online.

With so many single mothers juggling kids and jobs and struggling to get by each day, Boston police in the South End are starting a new effort to make sure their boys and girls stay out of trouble.

Community Service Officer Jorge Dias at the District D-4 station has hatched a plan to organize a panel of community organizations and members to develop strategies to support single mothers in the South End and Lower Roxbury neighborhoods.

Dias told the Herald his plan is intended to lift the community up and strengthen families so that young boys don’t turn to gangs as role models and girls learn what a healthy relationship is.

“Most of the problems we see with gang members is they are raised by single mothers. Some have two to three children. That’s a tough task. Sadly, there’s not a male role model in the house. What do we do to strengthen moms?” said Dias, who was raised by his single mother. “Sometimes, all she needs is a little time to herself to regroup.”

In Boston, among children living in families in poverty, 85 percent are headed by a single parent, according to 2005-2009 census data compiled by the Boston Indicators Project.

Dias said services could range from getting kids to participate in youth programs to giving mothers time off, family counseling, or job and interview training.

“We’re in a city that is very resource-rich — but a lot of times it’s connecting the individual with the right resource,” said Carolyn MacNeil, a community member who co-founded the South End Soccer.

YW Boston, a nonprofit dedicated to empowering women and eliminating racism, said single mothers need resources to balance jobs, families and their own lives beyond what households with two parents require.

“They say you can’t pour from an empty cup, but so many of Boston’s resilient single mothers are expected to,” said Brianna Moody, a coordinator on the health and wellness team at YW Boston. “Single mothers and their families need and deserve a living wage, along with access to programming and education that supports them both economically and socially.

“We really have to do something better. If we don’t help them, that 4,000 will rise,” said Dias, referring to the 4,000 homeless students in city schools. “You can’t leave people like that without violence coming with it.”