Community Events

Roca crew supervisor Jack Cascio, left, and Aaron Betts of Springfield unite in their enthusiasm for the painting work at Riverview Apartments.

For painters Mark Scott and Aaron Betts, it’s more than just a job as they apply a fresh beige coating on the hallways and common areas of the Riverview Apartments at the Springfield Housing Authority.

It’s the mark of a new life and a bright future in a program known as Roca.

Scott, who is 23, admits he was headed for catastrophe, even as a teenager. He has been in jail for drug dealing, and has spent enough time hanging on the streets of Springfield to know that he was looking for trouble. And in fact, he was finding it.

“I’m getting to old for that life. I wanted to straighten my life out. I want a good life, and I know that means I have to change,” said Scott. “At Roca, I’m working on my GED and I’m working. I’m doing something for myself.”

Scott is one of a group of young men working on a 10-month, $65,000 contract that includes painting the hallways and doors at the Riverview Apartments in the city’s Brightwood Neighborhood.

SHA Executive Director William H. Abrashkin praised the project.

“The mission of Roca is to reach out to young men with very difficult and criminal backgrounds and pull them back onto a more healthy path for them and others, teaching them life skills and job skills and helping them get on their feet and break the cycle that otherwise would likely land them back in trouble,” Abrashkin said.

“The SHA as a large employer in the community can play an important role in supporting Roca and helping it grow here as it has in the eastern part of the state,” he said.

The contract includes fresh paint at 67-69 and 115-117 Sanderson Street, 98-100 and 103-105 Sanderson Street, and 120-122 Clyde Street. It began in October and runs through August, 2012.

Mark Scott of Springfield works colorful magic in a Riverview hallway.

Trea Gayle of Springfield stands outside Riverview, discussing his work as a member of the painting crew.

Roca was founded in Chelsea in 1988 to help the most disenfranchised and disconnected youth in and around Boston. The target group consists of inner-city people aged 17 through 24 who are unemployed and are considered unemployable. Once accepted, they receive education and training, and eventually, jobs. They also do community service.

A Roca office opened last year in Springfield and now reaches out to about 70 at-risk youth. This past June, Roca opened a new headquarters at 25-33 School St.

At Springfield Housing Authority, seven Roca painters arrive four mornings a week, working until late in the afternoon.

Jack Cascio is Roca crew supervisor for the SHA project, and said the work at Riverview is perfect to help guide the men toward useful and meaningful lives.

“The thing that is so exciting about this work is that these kids are really intelligent, and if you can tap into that, it’s just amazing,” said Cascio, who has worked with youth, and in the construction industry, for many years. “A lot of these kids haven’t had a lot of opportunities to showcase their talents.”

Aaron Betts, 19, is one of those youths.

The Springfield resident wasn’t in major trouble – he has never been incarcerated — but he knew he was wasting his life. Jobless and lacking a high school diploma, he began looking for a GED program, but couldn’t find any with openings. He spent much of his time watching television and playing video games.

“I wasn’t doing anything for myself, just wasting my time, really,” Betts said.

Then one day this summer, a Roca outreach worker rang his doorbell. He bit the bait, and has yet to look back.

“Everything’s been good since then. Roca changed everything for me,” he said.

Betts is studying mathematics, science and the language arts, getting ready to take the GED test he knows he needs. He’s also learning about vocations, thanks to a Roca partnership with Massachusetts Career Development Institute.

And he has a job, one where he gets a paycheck every week. The Roca painters are paid $8 an hour for their work.

“I’m loving this,” he said in a stairwell at Riverview, where he was working.

“I’m a hands-on person. I love working. This is perfect for me,” he said.

If the Roca painters are happy with their work, their customers – residents at Riverview – are more than pleased.

“It looks very good,” said Juana Gonzalez, who lives at 117 Sanderson St.

“It’s nice to have fresh paint in the hallways, and they’re doing a terrific job.”