Roca celebrated the reopening of a rebuilt home for its second-chance program on School Street in Springfield on Wednesday, unveiling a renovated facility meant to better serve the roughly 400 people enrolled in the organization's job skills, life skills, education and treatment programs. The nonprofit had owned the building for more than 15 years, but according to its leadership, it had never actually been in good condition until now.
The $2.4 million capital campaign that paid for the overhaul drew support from at least a dozen donors along with foundation and government grants, according to MassLive. The renovated space now features more open, airy rooms designed specifically around the program's needs, and a back building that is bright and full of natural light thanks to new full-length windows, the outlet reported.
Roca works with young people ages 16 to 24 who are considered at extreme risk of violent crime, including those who have been incarcerated as well as girls and young women at risk of sexual violence or trafficking, according to The Reminder. That outlet reported in February that the organization received a $1.66 million earmark to continue its employment-based anti-violence programming, and that 61% of Roca's overall funding comes from federal, state and local government sources.
Participants Describe What the New Space Means
Among those on hand for the reopening were two participants whose stories illustrate the program's reach. Isaiah Barnill, who studies criminal justice at Holyoke, told MassLive he was on the other side of the law two years ago and now participates in both Roca and the Emerging Adult Court of Hope; he said he expects his charges will eventually be dismissed. He credited the program directly, saying Roca gave him a second chance and the guidance he needed.
Kyara Gonzalez, a Roca participant, said Roca supported her through addiction and gave her a safe place with real support. She added that the new building gives young women a place to come without feeling judged, a sentiment that speaks directly to the renovated space's brighter, more open design.
Local and State Officials Turn Out for the Unveiling
The reopening drew a roster of local and state officials. U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, who recently won an election that will return him as head of the House Ways and Means Committee, attended, along with State Sen. Adam Gomez and State Rep. Carlos Gonzalez. Molly Baldwin was pictured introducing local and state officials at the event, while Lauren Gilbert, board president and chief executive officer of BellXcel, also took part.
Springfield Mayor Domenic J. Sarno said his administration will continue funding empowerment and reentry programs it deems warranted, according to the same MassLive report. The city also pays for Roca crews to carry out cleanup and maintenance work around Springfield, an arrangement that underscores how closely the nonprofit's mission has become tied to municipal services.
A Partnership With the Courts
Roca's work overlaps with Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni's Emerging Adult Court of Hope, which the DA's office launched in 2020 to serve young adults ages 18 to 24 through judicial oversight, mentorship and access to social services, according to the Hampden District Attorney's office. The court is designed to keep young people out of jail, prevent violence and enable them to build decent lives, and Roca is listed among the community partners supporting its participants. By its fifth-anniversary account in early 2025, the court had graduated seven participants who went on to pursue higher education, secure employment and establish stable housing.
Roca's own published outcomes data, drawn from a 2013-to-2022 cohort, states that 68% of young men it served were not incarcerated within three years, and that of the 74% who arrived with violent criminal histories, only 19% recidivated for a violent offense in that same window, according to Roca's own outcomes reporting. For Baltimore young men, 87% had a history of arrests; after two years of enrollment, 84% had no new arrests and 93% were not incarcerated for new charges. These figures come from differing periods and participant groups, so they should be read as separate measures rather than directly comparable statistics.
More recent figures offer another snapshot of scale: Roca recorded 130,506 engagements with young people statewide in fiscal year 2025, per The Reminder, and separately reported that 99% of people enrolled for at least 18 months showed improved behavioral health, while 90% of those enrolled two years or longer had no new arrests. Roca's 2025 highlights report that 86% of young men were retained in its model throughout the year and 84% engaged in its cognitive behavioral therapy curriculum, known as Rewire CBT, according to Roca's Massachusetts young men outcomes data.
Roca's roots in Springfield stretch back more than a decade. In 2021, the organization said it had served nearly 700 young, high-risk men over its first ten years in Greater Springfield, reporting that 78% remained engaged after their first year and 87% stayed employed for more than three months, according to MassLive's earlier coverage. For a program built around second chances, the newly rebuilt School Street building gives that long-running work a physical home that finally matches its mission.
