MIDDLEBORO — After winning a court appeal earlier this year, Moving Mountains now has the necessary permits to open its facility, which will house, educate and train disadvantaged people seeking livable-wage employment.

While the nonprofit has not yet announced when it will begin admitting residents, it now has all the required permissions to do so.

Moving Mountains serves as the housing arm and base of operations for Ascension Career Training which supports youth aging out of foster care, graduates of substance abuse rehabilitation programs, formerly incarcerated individuals and victims of domestic abuse. Husband and wife team Jason McLeod and Meredith Ruff founded both organizations.

The services offered at Moving Mountains will help residents gain job-skills and find stable, livable employment. Along with training, the nonprofit will match residents with employers in their field of interest.

The website for the nonprofit prominently states that the, “interview process is lengthy and background checks are extensive. Sex offenders of any kind as well as those who have a history of violent crimes are not eligible for residency.”

For about three years, Moving Mountains has postponed opening the facility at 332 Marion Rd., due to a zoning conflict with the town. Middleboro officials argued that the facility did not meet the “rural residential” zoning requirements. Representatives for the nonprofit contended that the facility's purpose is educational, and it is therefore exempt from certain zoning restrictions. In February, a court sided with the nonprofit and the town chose not to appeal the decision.

The Middleboro Fire Chief and Building Inspector issued permits on July 22 for 57 beds at the housing facility. Representatives from the nonprofit said they will start with 20 to 25 people in the program, and only increase the population once the existing residents “are successful.”

Moving Mountains is a two-step, 12-to-18-month program. The first step includes classes on financial literacy, nutrition, interview-skills and stress management. Step two of the program has participants choose a career path with the help of a case manager who will give counsel and assist them in applying for certifications, licenses and career opportunities, according to court documents.

In addition, every participant in the program must pay a weekly rent, which serves as a method to teach basic independent living skills.

The Ascension Career Training team will offer a wide range of workshops — taught by volunteer professionals — on topics including carpentry, barbering, computer repair, fitness education, stress management and child development.

A licensed social worker, Zelda Bergstrom, and former correctional counselor, Jess Boysen, will lead the programming. They will be joined by other professionals including a dietician, yoga teacher and several longtime trade-business owners.

The facility combines education and job-training with holistic life-skills with the goal of having graduates secure stable housing and employment. Graduation is determined on an individual basis by participants and program leadership, court documents state. Upon graduation, a “certificate or other acknowledgement” is issued by the Massachusetts Department of Education.

“A typical day at Moving Mountains will start with a small group meeting in the morning, a part-time or full-time apprenticeship or employment offsite until 5 p.m., dinner, a life skills seminar and another group meeting in the evening,” representatives from the nonprofit stated in court documents.

Originally, Moving Mountains partnered with a Brockton-based nonprofit, People Affecting Community Change but that partnership fell through in November 2022 for reasons not publicly known. Founders McLeod and Ruff then formed Ascension Career Training, to continue their vision for Moving Mountains.

According to public records, Ruff and McLeod purchased 322 Marion Rd. in 2022. The approximately 15,734 square foot building was most recently a single-family home, before that it served as a retirement home.

Ruff and McLeod founded Moving Mountains to fill a gap in what they see as insufficient support services and education for their targeted demographics.

Now, Town Manager James McGrail said the town will work together with the facility to ensure safety of the occupants and surrounding community.

“We're going to try to work with the organization to make sure that they run a safe operation, for everyone, for the residents and for the tenants of the home,” McGrail said.

Over the past three years, the facility has drawn negative reactions from neighbors.

Rachael Dunbar, who lives on Marion Road, said although she would be open to a career training facility coming to her neighborhood — she remains concerned about safety and the strain on the septic system from additional community members.

Additionally, Dunbar said a lack of communication from the organization has left her frustrated.

“So the biggest concern is, how are they going to handle security and whatnot? What is their plan?” Dunbar said.

Boysen, who is the Director of Ascension Career Training, previously worked as a parole and probation officer and correctional counselor and has told officials that he is charged with security. During a Zoning Board of Appeals meeting in July 2023, Boysen told officials the program is highly selective.

“I'm a former law enforcement and department of corrections officer. I was out on the streets arresting the most dangerous people in the state of Washington. None of those people are going to be a part of this program. Nobody like that is going to be part of this program. It is all education based. I live across the street and am not going to let anybody into that program who is a community safety risk,” Boysen said during the meeting.

As of this writing, representatives from Moving Mountains have not responded to multiple requests for comment.