The Home for Little Wanderers announced that The O’Connell House, a nationally recognized residential program serving women who have survived human trafficking, will join The Home as part of its continuum of care, expanding the organization’s portfolio of services for vulnerable children, young adults, women and families.
Founded by Deb O’Hara Rusckowski, who recently joined The Home’s Board of Directors, The O’Connell House provides a safe, nurturing home for women who have survived human trafficking, many of whom also experienced involvement with the child welfare system during their childhoods. Through its innovative Sister Care model, the program combines trauma-informed residential care, clinical services, life skills development and individualized support to help women heal, regain independence and build brighter futures.
The O’Connell House is also one of the few safe houses in the United States that enables women—many of whom are pregnant or raising young children—to remain with their children while receiving care. By keeping mothers and children together, the program helps strengthen families, interrupts cycles of trauma and prevents future involvement with the child welfare system.
“This partnership is a natural extension of The Home’s mission and represents an exciting opportunity to expand our impact,” said Lesli Suggs, LICSW, President and CEO of The Home for Little Wanderers. “The O’Connell House has built an extraordinary model of compassionate, trauma-informed care for women who have experienced unimaginable hardship. By bringing this exceptional program into The Home’s family of services, we can build upon its remarkable foundation while expanding the clinical, behavioral health and operational resources available to the women and children it serves.”
The O’Connell House will continue operating with the mission, values and relationship-centered approach that have made it a transformative resource for women, children and families, while benefiting from The Home’s extensive expertise in behavioral health, child welfare, family services and organizational support.
“Our shared commitment to helping individuals heal from trauma and build stable, healthy futures makes this partnership an ideal fit,” Suggs added. “Together, we will strengthen services for women, children, and families while creating new opportunities to collaborate, innovate and expand access to care.”
The addition of The O’Connell House further strengthens The Home for Little Wanderers’ comprehensive continuum of services, which supports thousands of children, young adults and families each year across Massachusetts, New Hampshire and New York through behavioral health, child welfare, education, residential and community-based programs.
