Roca, Inc. Awarded $460,000 Hartford Foundation Grant to Continue Work Supporting Young Women in Hartford

Funding to support Roca Hartford program that serves more than 100 high-risk young women 

For nearly four decades, Roca Inc. has worked to meet the specific needs of high-risk young people who have experienced unimaginable trauma and violence. Through Roca’s Rewire CBT program—non-clinical cognitive behavioral therapy for those at the center of urban violence—Roca teaches life-saving skills to young adults ages 14-24 that help them achieve long-term behavior change and disrupt the cycle of trauma, violence, and incarceration. 

Roca supports both high-risk young men and women but is one of the only organizations in the country equipped to reach young women, primarily mothers, who are living at the center of urban violence, either as victims or perpetrators. In 2021, after concluding an extensive stakeholder engagement process in Hartford that included local government officials, nonprofit organizations and members of the community, Roca determined there was a need for this type of program in Connecticut’s capital city and expanded its programming for women from Massachusetts to Hartford. This expansion came at a critical time when a growing number of young women were experiencing extreme levels of victimization, including those associated with human trafficking.

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, the City of Hartford, and Dalio Education were the initial funders of Roca’s Hartford program. To build on this work, the Hartford Foundation recently awarded a two-year, $460,000 grant to Roca to expand its Young Women’s program. The funding includes $160,000 from Foundation donors. 

“We are incredibly grateful for the Hartford Foundation’s steadfast support of Roca,” said Sunindiya Bhalla, Roca’s Executive Vice President of Women and 2Gen. “Our impact in helping Hartford’s highest-risk young women as they strive to overcome lifelong trauma and violence to transform their lives would not be possible without the generosity of our investors. The Foundation took a chance on us back in 2021, and we are immensely proud that it is stepping up again to allow us to expand our reach in Hartford. Together, we will continue to save and change the trajectory of the lives of young women and their children, while reducing violence and strengthening public safety.”

For fiscal year 2024, Roca Hartford served 115 of the highest-risk young women, with an 84 percent retention rate. Of those served, 83 percent were engaged in Rewire CBT. Of those enrolled in the program 18 months or longer, 94 percent demonstrated improved emotional regulation. 93 percent of the women enrolled for at least 24 months had no new arrests and none experienced a new incarceration.

Among those served in FY24, more than 90 percent reside in the Foundation’s region (primarily Hartford, East Hartford, and Manchester), 96 percent identify as Black or Latina, 83 percent reported being victims of violence, 77 percent lack a high school diploma, and 71 percent have no employment history.

Roca’s Rewire CBT was developed in partnership with Massachusetts General Hospital in 2015 and specializes in reaching young adults who are not ready, willing, or able to participate in traditional counseling or other community interventions. Roca’s trauma-informed services help young people develop the skills necessary to support long-term behavior change and improve economic mobility, ultimately reducing violence.

Traditional job training and employment programs are not designed for young women who have been victims of violence and face significant barriers to employment. As young women advance through Roca’s 3–4-year intervention model, participants resume their education and learn and practice skills necessary to obtain and retain employment. In partnership with Bloomfield-based Auerfarm, Roca’s Transitional Employment Program (TEP) works to provide young women a place to practice their behavior change skills and navigate barriers to employment while learning how to work and build their resumes. In addition, Roca has hired an Employment Specialist to support participant job placement, replacement, and retention. These components have produced promising employment outcomes as more than half of the 18 women enrolled in TEP for 21+ months have been placed in and have maintained unsubsidized employment.

“The Hartford Foundation is proud to support organizations like Roca, whose work exemplifies the power of hope and perseverance,” said Foundation Senior Community Impact Officer Joel Hicks-Rivera. “By addressing trauma, breaking cycles of violence and building pathways for economic stability, Roca empowers young women and mothers to rewrite their stories. Working together, they are reshaping a future where resilience transforms communities and creates lasting change.”

The Hartford Foundation grant will allow Roca to expand the capacity of its Hartford program site and will provide Roca the ability to hire a second TEP Educator. In addition, the funding will support the provision of certifications onsite to reduce barriers for participants who wish to gain credentials, including that required to work as a certified nurse aide (CNA). Finally, the new Foundation grant will also help Roca to launch its Bridge to Success model in Hartford and help participants obtain and retain employment by partnering with employers and subsidizing the first 4-8 weeks of employment.

The Hartford Foundation produced a video highlighting Roca’s Transitional Employment Program at Auer Farm. 

The Hartford Foundation for Public Giving is the community foundation for Hartford and 28 surrounding towns. Through partnerships, the Foundation seeks to strengthen communities in Greater Hartford by putting philanthropy in action to dismantle structural racism and achieve equity in social and economic mobility. Made possible by the gifts of generous individuals, families and organizations, the Foundation has awarded grants of more than $1 billion since its founding in 1925. For more information, visit www.hfpg.org or call 860-548-1888.