Former convent in Lower Mills to become halfway house for women with substance-abuse problems

The Zoning Board of Appeal contiguous unanimously approved a program by the Gavin Foundation of South Boston to crook the erstwhile St. Gregory convent astatine 2200 Dorchester Ave. successful Dorchester Lower Mills into a 30-bed halfway location for women trying to retrieve from substance abuse.

Gavin CEO John McGahan said the exterior of the erstwhile convent gathering would stay the same; each the enactment would beryllium done inside.

McGahan said women accepted into the programme would walk 4 to six months arsenic residents, with personalized attraction programs aimed astatine helping them woody with their substance maltreatment and summation skills to find jobs aft they leave. He said the halfway would beryllium staffed astir the timepiece - with 5 full-time workers during the day, 3 successful the evening and 2 overnight.

He said that though the programme volition judge women from Mass and Cass., they volition travel to Lower Mills lone aft completing aesculapian detox and past a further objective programme first.

He said the programme volition beryllium aimed astatine azygous women. However, women who are large erstwhile they get volition beryllium allowed to enactment with their kid successful the programme for up to 3 months if they springiness commencement portion inactive a participant.

The mayor's bureau and City Councilors Frank Baker (Dorchester), Michael Flaherty (at large) and Ed Flynn (South Boston) and authorities Sen. Nick Collins supported the proposal.