Hayward Mayor Barbara Halliday and other elected officials are expected to attend the opening on Friday of a home for formerly incarcerated women who are seeking to be reunified with their children.
The "Brighter Futures" home is the brainchild of Kim Carter, a former addict and homeless person who's been recognized as one of CNN's "Top 10 Heroes" and received the 2018 James Irvine Leadership Award for helping to create solutions to California's most pressing social issues.
Carter has reunited a total of 282 children from foster care back with their mothers and helped more than 1,500 women reach self-sufficiency.
Carter said that 27 years ago she was among the homeless population where substance abuse and incarceration was the daily norm but she was able to rebuild her life, receive a governor's pardon and help other women in similar situations.
In 2012, Carter became an affordable housing developer, creating "The Phoenix Square" for low-income families.
Carter said creating affordable housing is important because housing in the Bay Area is unaffordable for most women who are seeking to rebuild their lives.
Carter said the "Brighter Futures" home represents the foundation on which women can rebuild their lives, satisfy dependency court requirements of providing safe and decent housing for their children and provide women the structure and support they need for their journey to self-sufficiency.
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The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the home is scheduled to be held at noon on Friday at 24590 Townsend Ave. in Hayward.
