Haley House was the surprise highlight of PBS News Hour's recent trip to Boston with the American Graduate Project. Please follow From article: "Traveling around the country exploring stories about America's dropout problem and shooting for hours on end, my colleague Mike Fritz and I invariably work up an appetite. And in every town we repeatedly ask: 'Where's the best place to eat around here?'
One chilly Monday in November, the recommendation was Haley House Bakery Café in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood. The eatery's fresh food came highly praised and we were both impressed with its offerings. But most unexpectedly, a dropout story also landed on our plate.
Haley House, as it happens, is full of staff members who have been incarcerated. Their offenses include weapons violations, drug trafficking, even murder. Nearly two-thirds dropped out of school at some point. But all are now working diligently to trying to re-define their lives so the focus is no longer on what they did, but rather, about what they're doing."
Mayor Menino and Governor Patrick stopped by for quick bite at the Bakery Café before shaking voters' hands on election day. They are among the many people who not only find the café a great place to eat but a place to connect with the Roxbury neighborhood.
After years of incarceration and limited reasons for celebration, the men of the Haley House Transitional Employment Program smile with pride and a sense of accomplishment as they receive their first pay check. Left to right: Roland Worrell, Audley Mills, Moses Ehiabhi and Joseph Bartley.