Rindge Commons Economic Mobility Hub Launches in Ribbon-Cutting Event

More than 60 Cambridge residents gathered at Rindge Commons in Alewife on Thursday afternoon for the launch of the Economic Mobility Hub — a new building offering affordable housing, job training, trade education and child care services.

The event celebrating the completion of Rindge Commons — a $37 million investment into Cambridge economic mobility — featured speeches from local and state politicians including Rep. Ayanna S. Pressley (D-Mass.), Cambridge Mayor E. Denise Simmons, and Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Kim L. Driscoll.

In her speech, Pressley called the services offered by the hub a “must have.”

“Every member of our community deserves access to all of those things,” Pressley said. “The Rindge Commons Economic Mobility Hub will not only provide housing, it will also integrate vital services that support residents in achieving their goals.”

Carl Nagy-Koechlin, the executive director of Just A Start — the nonprofit leading the project — described the Economic Mobility Hub as “a bridge” between disadvantaged residents and job opportunities.

“Cambridge is booming — the life science industries in particular are booming — but so many people lack access to those opportunities,” Nagy-Koechlin said. “This project is really all about making that connection. ”

Simmons said in her speech that the success of the hub relies on collaboration between many governmental and nonprofit organizations.

“The Rindge Commons Economic Mobility Hub is a shining example of what we can accomplish when we all work together, guided by a shared belief that we can get it done for all that come to us,” Simmons said. “It speaks of the essence of what we truly value here in Cambridge: equity, inclusion and the determination to uplift every member of our community.”

Driscoll in her speech said that the Economic Mobility Hub and Just a Start are setting an example for other cities in the Greater Boston area.

“We’re so thrilled to have such a strong partner here in the city,” Driscoll said. “You are leading the way for other communities.”

Heather Robinson, an alumni of Just A Start programs who spoke at the event, said that the education provided was integral to her career in science after she became pregnant at 17 and had to drop out of high school.

“It gives you not only the science background, but it gives you the soft skills,” she said. “To communicate, to get along with people, the dynamics of working in an office environment.”

Robinson added that beyond the career opportunities, the programming allowed her to make connections with others in similar situations.

"It’s a close connection. You end up making friends in the program, so you want everyone to succeed. Just having a group of 30 people for nine months,” Robinson said, “that’s what I needed. I wasn’t lost anymore.”

"That changed my life — it really changed my life," she said.