Uncategorized

(From left, Summer Works participants Rashid Griffin, Josaun George, and Kaylin Berry-Woods; Cruz Companies leaders Christopher Sonnie, John B. Cruz, III, Dareline Jackson and Justin Cruz; youth painting instructor Qween Ragland; and youth participants Sun Brown and Sterling Pina; Photo Credit: Eric Haynes, courtesy of Cruz Companies.)

New England Real Estate Journal (NEREJ) August 19, 2016 – The Cruz C.A.R.E.S. Summer Works Program today celebrated its inaugural class of participants, highlighting youth painting homes at Harvard Commons; a new diverse community of 54 homes in Dorchester developed by Cruz Companies.

“Our motto is ‘Cruz Cares’ and our mission is giving back to the community through opportunities like our exciting new youth works program,” said John B. Cruz, III, president and CEO of Cruz Companies, the oldest and largest minority-owned construction and development firm in New England.

Cruz Companies recruited eight youth and one coordinator from the communities of Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan to participate in the program. Youth workers are between the ages of 14-18 and receive compensation for their work.

“The Cruz C.A.R.E.S. summer program has been an astonishing experience,” said Kaylin Berry-Woods (pictured), a 16-year-old student attending TechBoston Academy. “I thank Cruz Companies for giving me my first job, with an opportunity with to be a part of the administration and maintenance workforce this summer.”

The six-week program runs from July 5 – August 19, 2016, and was launched in partnership with ABCD Summer Works.

“The Cruz C.A.R.E.S. program has been such an amazing learning experience for me,” said Donell Rankins, Jr. of Roxbury, a 15-year-old student at the John D O’Bryant School of Math and Science. “Being in the environment of not only an administrative setting, but also an artistic setting, has allowed me to develop the attributes of a successful businessman, painter, and leader within society.”

Participants will also volunteer for Cradles to Crayons and participate in a financial literacy and resume writing workshop during the course of the program.

“I feel really appreciative to Cruz for giving me the opportunity to give back to my community and teaching me lessons and qualities that I will need later on in life,” said Sun Brown (also pictured), a 15-year-old student from Mattapan attending Foxborough Regional Charter School.

About Cruz C.A.R.E.S.

Cruz C.A.R.E.S. (Community, Arts, Recreational and Educational Services) is Cruz Companies’ social responsibility arm, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that exists to help Boston’s urban community. Throughout the years, Cruz C.A.R.E.S. has hosted after-school programs, summer camps, college scholarships, resident field trips and a youth holiday celebration. In addition, Cruz believes that a real estate development should provide economic opportunities for the people in the community, including:

• Increasing affordable housing opportunities
• Providing good jobs to area residents
• Hiring other minority businesses through subcontracts
• Building sustainable communities through economic development

Boston Herald July 14, 2016 – Cruz Cos. is planning a $47 million development on Warren Street in Roxbury that its CEO says would bring much-needed mixed-income apartments, along with senior­ housing, to the neighborhood and help further revitalize Dudley Square.

The Roxbury company, in a letter of intent filed with the Boston Redevelopment Authority, pitched a two-phase project that would begin­ with a four- to five-story building with at least 51 apartments, a quarter of which would be market-rate, with the rest planned as workforce housing.

Boston Globe June 21, 2016 – For some reason, people tend to gravitate to the term “old-fashioned” when trying to describe Cruz Companies, a construction, development, real estate management, and relocation firm in Roxbury.

Perhaps it is understandable. The company has some age: It is one of the oldest and largest minority-owned companies in the Northeast. And it admittedly prides itself on old-fashioned quality, old-fashioned values, and even an old-fashioned management and corporate structure that includes several members of the extended Cruz family.

CRUZ MANAGEMENT ANNOUNCES NEW SMOKE-FREE PARTNERSHIP WITH BOSTON PUBLIC HEALTH COMMISSION

New smoke-free housing policy to benefit 4,000 residents

Harvard Commons – Dorchester, MA

BOSTON – Monday, March 21, 2016 – Cruz Management, a third generation minority-owned family company serving tenants in over 1,600 units in the cities of Boston and New Bedford, today announced a new partnership with Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) to implement a smoke-free policy that will increase health and safety for all of its residents.

“We thank Cruz Management for their work to provide safe and healthy environments for Boston residents,” said Felix G. Arroyo, Boston’s chief of Health and Human Services. “As a lifelong asthmatic, I know how important it is to ensure children and families are able to breathe clean air.”

Cruz Management recently notified its residents of the policy, which goes into effect July 1, 2016, following a survey that found widespread, positive support amongst tenants for smoke-free buildings.

“This is a healthy policy for all of the families living in our properties, and we are pleased by the strong support for this initiative,” said Justin Cruz, director of Cruz Management. “We look forward to working with Boston Public Health Commission and our more than 4,000 residents during the transition to smoke-free buildings over the coming months.”

BPHC will be working with Cruz Management to offer training and technical assistance to help staff communicate its new policy with residents as it is incorporates new smoke-free language into leases. BPHC will also help connect residents to resources if they want to quit, or learn more about smoking cessation strategies.

“We are proud of Cruz Management for talking the leadership to adopt this policy which will benefit thousands of families,” said Eugene Barros, associate director of the BPHC Division of Healthy Homes and Community Supports. “This will make a big difference especially for the many residents and children who suffer from asthma and other respiratory problems and are highly sensitive to smoke.”

BPHC started its Smoke-Free-Homes program in 2008 and has since helped hundred of landlords, including the Boston Housing Authority, become smoke-free. More than 20 local housing agencies and community development corporations have now adopted the policy, which results in healthier, safer and easier to maintain buildings.

Learn more about BPHC Smoke-Free-Homes

About Cruz Management:

A division of Cruz Companies, one of the oldest and largest minority-owned companies in the northeast, Cruz Management is a full service real estate property management firm, which provides quality services to property owners in the Greater Boston area that include the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency the Department of Housing and Urban Development and private owners.

The Cruz Management team has won a reputation for professionalism and partnership with residents, housing agencies and community groups. Cruz Management services more than 1,600 units in the cities of Boston and New Bedford, Massachusetts, as well as sites in Miami, Florida. These residential units are financed through a variety of programs, such as: Projects Based Section 8, Low Income Housing Tax Credits, Section 236, Sharpe Developments and Hope VI Developments.

See a list of Cruz Management properties