House of Possibilities opened its new Yawkey Campus at Stonehill College in North Easton on Thursday, giving the disability services nonprofit a new 15,000-square-foot facility alongside renovations to the existing 11,000-square-foot Yawkey House, with a training kitchen, a jobs lab, and a combination podcast and music studio room. The organization says it now serves close to 200 families annually from more than 50 communities across Massachusetts.
The nonprofit supports people with disabilities through community engagement, employment guidance, coaching, and social activities, according to Boston 25 News. The new facility adds specialized spaces for career training, culinary instruction, and media production on the Stonehill campus.
The campus didn't come cheap or come together overnight. The station reports the build was funded by a MassDevelopment bond together with support from the Yawkey Foundation, which had already been a major backer of House of Possibilities' growth plans.
Years of Grants Paved the Way
The Yawkey Foundation's involvement goes back further than Thursday's ribbon-cutting. The foundation awarded House of Possibilities a $555,000 Strategic Investment Grant to fund pre-construction activities for expanding its Easton facilities, according to the Yawkey Foundation. That early investment was followed by a far larger commitment: a $5 million grant for facilities and service expansion at the Stonehill campus in Easton, as detailed in a release from House of Possibilities.
On the construction financing side, MassDevelopment issued a $14.135 million tax-exempt bond, purchased by Rockland Trust, to help fund the expansion and renovation work, according to the New England Real Estate Journal. Together, the grants and bond financing turned years of planning into the building that opened its doors this week.
A Partnership Rooted in 2009
House of Possibilities' ties to Stonehill College stretch back nearly two decades. The organization's Yawkey House first opened on Stonehill's campus in 2009 as a respite space for people with disabilities and their families, according to Stonehill College. Since then, the college and the nonprofit — also known as HOPe — have worked together to cultivate what the school describes as a nurturing environment with groundbreaking programming.
Stonehill has also indicated the relationship isn't done growing. The college has said House of Possibilities is actively planning further expansion intended to open up more collaboration between the nonprofit, Stonehill students, and faculty in purpose-driven spaces, suggesting Thursday's opening may not be the final chapter of the partnership.
Part of a Broader Push for Employment Support
The Yawkey Campus opening lands amid a wider statewide push to expand employment and life-skills resources for people with disabilities. Earlier this year, Curry College's Neurodiversity Center for Excellence was expected to launch a comprehensive employment transition program designed to support 22 neurodivergent young adults across Massachusetts, according to the Healey-Driscoll Administration. For North Easton families, House of Possibilities' new jobs lab and training kitchen now offer a similarly hands-on option close to home.
