WINTER 2021 Home for the Holidays, Grateful and Hopeful Q & A with our Recovery Support Navigator New Look, Same Mission Our President on Giving Warmth and Light this Holiday Season
NEWS
Ways to Help this Winter Join us for A Christmas Carol on December 20th
Home for the Holidays, Grateful and Hopeful
Rosa learned all too young that everything can change in an instant. She was just seven years old when her father died, leaving her and her mother Maria, recent immigrants from Honduras, alone in a new country to navigate a new life and language on their own.
Q&A
REMY LAWRENCE
RECOVERY SUPPORT NAVIGATOR Remy Lawrence is Rosie’s Place’s first Recovery Support Navigator (RSN). A year ago, in response to the dire opioid epidemic, we launched this new full-time position in order provide expert help on-site and remotely, to women living with substance use disorder. Contracted through Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program’s Office-Based Opiate Treatment team, her goal is to ensure the health and safety of our guests who are battling addiction while promoting and supporting their recovery and stability. How do you help women struggling with addiction? I start with engaging with them, building a dialogue, listening to them and many times, helping them address needs that may not seem like they are part of substance use disorder—like housing or legal issues, physical and mental health challenges. But I know that they are often symptoms of addiction. If I can show a guest that I can be nonjudgmental and helpful, that I will treat her with dignity and respect, she can start to trust me. And once there is trust, I see doors open up and we can start to have deeper conversations about what other supports she needs and that could mean anything from securing her a bed in detox, a spot in a rehab program or connecting her to a support group. What kinds of challenges do our guests face that jeopardize their recovery? The majority of the women I work with are living with severe and persistent mental illness as well as substance use disorder, what’s called dual diagnosis. Living in poverty and living on the streets can be traumatizing, overwhelming and isolating—which only exacerbates these conditions. All of our guests have so many competing and urgent needs like shelter, housing and food, that mental health and recovery support are often neglected. How has the pandemic affected women struggling with recovery? The separation and loneliness that we all endured brought increased depression and substance abuse for so many of our guests. Throughout the pandemic, my caseload has only grown. Every day, I meet with guests remotely and in-person and we spend a lot of time developing coping skills and new healthy routines. How does the RSN fit in with other programs at Rosie’s Place? We are all one big team committed to doing the best and the most we can for our guests. Our help is accessible and unconditional. And for the women I work with, who have often alienated or been abandoned by their families and loved ones because of their struggles, that’s critical. Because recovery isn’t perfection, it’s progress. They know that Rosie’s Place is here for them for as long as they need us. They know they aren’t alone.
It was difficult, but the widowed Maria pushed forward, determined to provide her daughter with the education and opportunities that drove their move to the U.S. For years, she took every waitressing shift and cleaning job she could get, fitting in English classes wherever she could. Rosa worked hard, too. She graduated high school, became a dental assistant, and eventually had two children of her own. Together, the family moved into a larger apartment, and Maria, a proud grandmother, worked night shifts so she could take care of her grandchildren while Rosa was at work. But this hard-won stability was fragile. When the pandemic hit, Rosa’s hours at work were drastically cut and it wasn’t long before the family fell behind in rent and utility payments. Then her mother, who has severe asthma, was hospitalized with COVID—and once again, Rosa’s life was upended. Distraught by her mother’s illness, and suddenly without childcare, Rosa had no choice but to leave her job so she could be home with her children while her mother slowly recovered. Not knowing when she could return to work, Rosa felt overwhelmed as she juggled her family’s care and their mounting bills. Desperate, Rosa called our Advocacy Helpline after she remembered visiting Rosie’s Place for groceries when she was younger. We helped to catch her up on back rent and utilities and negotiate a payment plan for the months ahead. Our Advocates were there for Rosa as she sorted through the bills from her mother’s hospital stay, guiding her in building a budget for the debt. As her mother’s health
improved, Rosa began working with our Employment Specialist, and was able to secure a new job. Today, Rosie’s Place is still a part of Rosa and Maria’s lives. Our Stabilization Advocate checks in regularly to make sure they are staying on track. Maria visits our Food Pantry weekly and is thrilled to be feeling better and able to help her daughter once again. With the children back in school, she now works part-time to bring in extra income while still being able to care for her grandchildren in the afternoon. Rosa and Maria are feeling hopeful about the year ahead. They are making plans to celebrate the holidays and Rosie’s Place will be there to help with gifts and to offer good cheer. As Rosa said, “We are so grateful to have our family and our health and Rosie’s Place!”
New Look, Same Mission Our work is continually evolving and expanding to meet the needs of our guests. And so too, is our main building at 889 Harrison Avenue with extensive renovations just recently completed. Our enlarged Sitting Room now allows for more women to take respite or take part in engaging activities offered throughout the day. We built private phone and computer spaces where guests can maintain contact with family, work, and resources otherwise out of their reach. And our reconfigured laundry facilities increased capacity so that more women can utilize them each day. As the demand for the expert help of our Legal Program, Mental Health Specialist and Recovery Support Navigator continues to rise, our growing
team will be able to meet with more guests in one of the new welcoming and private meeting spaces we have created. Contracting with Elaine Construction on this work, we have also brightened and reimagined our lobby and Dining Room, the two areas that are the hub and heart of our building. At Rosie’s Place, true to our mission to “provide a safe and nurturing environment that helps poor and homeless women maintain their dignity, seek opportunity and find security in their lives,” we take care to make sure our building is more than a facility—it’s a sanctuary. These renovations mean that we will be able to serve more women in more ways and in the most dignified and compassionate environment possible.
Our President on Giving Warmth and Light this Holiday Season Dear Friend: When winter arrives, bringing cold weather and days that grow dark far too soon—we all instinctively seek out warmth and light. For many of us that means performing simple seasonal rituals like turning up the heat, turning on more lights, maybe buying a new coat and often staying inside more. For poor and homeless women, keeping warm, safe and healthy in these months is much more complicated. Those who are housed but struggling to get by throughout the year now face increased utility payments that threaten precarious financial stability. And for those who are homeless, their needs are the most basic and critical—warm clothes, safe day and nighttime shelter, healthy meals and hot showers. At Rosie’s Place, thanks to friends like you, we will provide warmth and light, support and solutions to thousands of women this winter. We could not do this without you. Throughout the past almost two years, your support has given our community the means and the momentum to forge a path through some of the hardest times we have known—and address the greatest need for our help we have seen in our 47-year history. Our Food Pantry has now tripled its pre-pandemic capacity, serving 350 women every day. We increased funding and staff for our most critical services so that there’s more help with housing stabilization, job search, mental health and addiction services, and so much more. We renovated our facilities so that the space where women are accessing all of these services is welcoming and expanded—for more women to be served safely. And we have embraced technology and its ability to remove barriers of transportation and scheduling—those pitfalls to accessing services that have long posed challenges to our community. We are now able to serve more women in more ways than ever—thanks to friends like you. Your compassion allows us to provide help and hope to so many. And where there is hope, there can be joy. And joy is powerful. Thank you. Your friendship remains our very best and brightest gift. Heartfelt best wishes for the holiday season,
Leemarie Mosca
ROSIE’S PLACE NEWS is published three times a year to inform our friends about activities and events taking place throughout the Rosie’s Place community. OUR MISSION is to provide a safe and nurturing environment to help poor and homeless women to maintain their dignity, seek opportunity, and find security in their lives. OUR VISION is based on the words of our founder, Kip Tiernan: “Never forget that charity is scraps from the table and justice is a seat at the table. Charity is giving to others what belongs to you. Justice is giving others what belongs to them.” At Rosie’s Place, we believe diversity, equity and inclusion are core components of justice. We commit to acting on a daily basis to dismantle injustice to ensure that opportunities and equitable outcomes are available to all members of our community regardless of individual characteristics including race, color, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity, age, sexual orientation or perceived ability. President/CEO Leemarie Mosca Director of Communications/Editor Jamie Doyle Communications Associate/Contributor Sara Clark Design Colette O’Neill We’d love to hear from you! Please contact us with your comments at jdoyle@rosiesplace.org or 617.318.0265.
ay T Ways to Help at Holid
ime Evening Walk
At Rosie’s Place we seek to provide our guests with happy, healthy, warm and engaging holiday celebrations. Help us brighten the season for women facing difficult days ahead by getting involved in any of the following ways. Thank you! 1. COLLECT NEEDED HOLIDAY ITEMS Coordinate an effort with your workplace, school, family or friends to collect holiday gifts for our guests. With your help we hope to provide 1,000 guests with a special gift this year. All donations should be sent directly to the attention of: Rosie’s Place Holiday Gifts, 889 Harrison Ave., Boston, MA 02118, by December 13th. We encourage donations to be shipped, however, if you plan to deliver them in-person, please fill out our online form at https://bit.ly/RPDropOff, to schedule a drop-off day and time. Questions? Contact Community Engagement at volunteer@rosiesplace.org. 2. SPONSOR A CATERED MEAL We provide hundreds of hearty and nutritious meals every day of the year. Our staff uses fresh ingredients, makes dishes from scratch and uses recipes that reflect our guests’ diverse palates. Please consider sponsoring a meal for $500 to help us sustain our vital Food Programs. 3. SEND HOLIDAY CARDS Send greetings to family, friends and clients—and give the gift of hope to poor and homeless women. Choose from nine classic Boston scenes and winter illustrations by acclaimed local artists. Order today at www.rosiesplace.org/holidaycards.
4. HOST A DIGITAL FUNDRAISER OR DRIVE Virtual fundraisers and drives are easy and safe ways to connect with your community to support our programs and services. Simply go to www.facebook.com/fund/rosiesplace or https://charity.gofundme.com/rosiesplace to launch your own fundraiser. 5. GIVE TO ROSIE’S PLACE Visit www.rosiesplace.org/give to support our vital programs and services for over 12,000 women each year with a one-time gift or monthly donation that funds our work year-round!
NEEDED HOLIDAY GIFTS Please visit our Amazon Wishlist at bit.ly/RPWishlist for easy access to the full list of items we are accepting. This year we are requesting: • $25 gift cards to Target, Old Navy, Walmart, CVS, and Walgreens • Bath and body gift sets with lotion, body wash and body spray • Warm hat, scarf and glove sets • Slippers and bathrobes • Pajama sets in sizes Small - 3X • Throws and blankets • New gift bags, wrapping paper, ribbons and tape
Renovation Celebration
We celebrated the completion of our renovations with a weeklong Open House event full of great friends and food and fun activities for our community. From delicious meals in our festively decorated Dining Room to raffles and games in our newly expanded Sitting Room and special giveaways included in our Pantry bags, we enjoyed showing off the new facilities to our guests. Not only do we have more spaces to provide our help to more women in need, but most importantly they are warm, welcoming and accessible.
Communityof
Friends
We are so grateful to our friends at Walden Local Meat Co., who contributed hundreds of dozens of eggs as well as a variety of meats to our Food Pantry over the past several months. We appreciate being able to give our guests these delicious farm-fresh proteins!
Not only did our friend Pam Haran sew a stunning 1,755 masks for the Rosie’s Place community, but with the scraps from her work, she made a beautiful quilt for us! It will be hung in our Women’s Education Center, to be enjoyed by all. Thank you “sew” much for all your beautiful work, Pam!
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In November, as part of Boston University’s School of Public Health’s 45th anniversary celebration, Rosie’s Place received their “Beyond Health Award.” Their highest honor, this is given to “those who have made a contribution through creating new knowledge, through helping us learn about the causes of health in a new way, and who have made a difference through their work and lives.”
The Wellness Center at Rosie’s Place provides an opportunity for women to receive unconditional support along with sound health and medical assistance. We partner with community health organizations including Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, Health Care Without Walls, and Regis College School of Nursing to offer the most comprehensive services and treatments we can. Last year alone, we provided on-site COVID-19 symptom screenings to 11,657 guests, both emergency and surveillance testing, and access to vaccines for our guests. This year, we’ll continue to offer all of these same services, and with newly expanded hours and in a renovated space, so we can offer our critical help to more women with more convenience.
A big thank you to our friends at Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, who created 250 toiletry care packages for our guests as a part of their week of service. Distributed through our Food Pantry, these packages contain essential items such as toothpaste, soap and shampoo to help guests stretch their modest budgets.
MAKING HEADLINES H
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osie’s Place and our work to keep our community healthy and safe throughout the pandemic, was featured in an article on GBH, “Boston’s Homeless Services See New Reach Under Pandemic-Induced Changes.” As we have since March of 2020, we continue to grow our programs to meet the critical and increasing needs of our guests.
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ousing Navigator Massachusetts has developed a new online searchable database that may help to ease the challenging housing search process. In a recent Boston Globe article, “Finding an affordable apartment in Boston may get a little easier” about the many hurdles to housing and stability our guests face, Chief Program Officer, Sandy Mariano said, “It’s a complicated system depending on each guest’s needs and their specifications and what kinds of priorities and barriers they have.”
Our Employment Specialist recently launched a virtual Job Club to help our guests prepare to join or re-join the workforce. Meeting weekly over Zoom, she leads discussions and workshops on topics such as resume writing and job sourcing. By offering this club remotely, we are able to provide accessible support to many more guests who may not otherwise be able to come in to Rosie’s Place.
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n Tuesday, November 9th, the extraordinary community of Rosie’s Place came together and made our signature fundraising event, Funny Women…Serious Business a wonderful success! The livestream show drew an audience of more than 1,000 of our closest supporters along with new partners, and raised over $770,000 to support our life-changing work. Hosted by our longtime friends, Susan Wornick and Karen Holmes Ward with our featured speaker, former U.S. Poet Laureate and New York Times bestselling author, Natasha Trethewey, it was an inspiring afternoon.
We were able to exceed our goal thanks to the many supporters whose generosity was integral to the success of the event, including Presenting Sponsors: Bank of America; Globalization Partners; Christina and Michael Gordon; Anne Kubik; Kristen and John Maxwell; Michele May and David Walt; New Balance Foundation and Deb and Mark Pasculano.
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We are also grateful to our special guests: Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker and First Lady Lauren Baker; Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley; Latoyia Edwards, NBC Boston; Kim Khazei, 7News WHDH/WLVI; Yadires Nova-Salcedo, Encuentro Latino; and Vanessa Welch, Boston 25 News.
please support
Rosie’s Place
by making a donation online at www.rosiesplace.org/winternews21 or by sending a gift in the enclosed envelope. we thank you!
Your Legacy, Her Opportunity
From left: Amory Sivertson, Jack Lepiarz, Bob Oakes, Meghna Chakrabarti, Tiziana Dearing and Robin Young before the 17th reading of A Christmas Carol at the Omni Parker House in 2019.
Annual Reading of A Christmas Carol Set for December 20 As we approach the end of the year, please consider a tax-deductible donation to Rosie’s Place. Your compassion and generosity allow us to remain a lifeline for every woman who seeks our help.
Make a Gift Tax-Free from Your IRA IRA Rollover If you are 70 ½ or older, you may take advantage of the IRA charitable rollover: You can donate up to $100,000 to satisfy the minimum required distribution of your IRA account, while also reducing your taxable income. Your gift must pass directly from your IRA administrator to Rosie’s Place, and any transfer must be completed by December 31st of the corresponding tax year. For more information, please contact Matt DeAngelis at 617-318-0294 or mdeangelis@rosiesplace.org.
More Ways to Give The following are some types of gifts that also provide additional tax benefits. Gifts of Stock Donate an appreciated stock and avoid capital gain tax, while receiving a charitable deduction of the full fair-market value. To arrange a wire transfer, please contact Matt DeAngelis at 617-318-0294 or mdeangelis@rosiesplace.org. Donor Advised Fund Recommend a one-time or recurring grant to Rosie’s Place from your Donor Advised Fund. Contact your fund representative for details. For more information, go to: www.rosiesplace.org/ways-to-give/tax-advantaged-giving Thank you! Rosie’s Place is a 501(c) (3) charitable organization. Gifts made to Rosie’s Place are tax deductible to the full extent of the law. EIN: 04-2582187. We are proud that 86 cents of every dollar raised goes directly to services for poor and homeless women.
On December 2, 1867, Charles Dickens began his first American reading tour of A Christmas Carol in Boston. Since 2002, WBUR has hosted a reading of this timeless holiday tale. This year, the tradition will continue as both a livestream and in-person event at WBUR’s CitySpace, on Monday, December 20th at 7:00PM. WBUR hosts and reporters, Meghna Chakrabarti, Tiziana Dearing, Jack Lepiarz, Bob Oakes and Rupa Shenoy will bring this classic story to life with warmth, drama and humor. Musical performances by Syncopation will be sure to make the night all the merrier! Tickets may be purchased at www.rosiesplace.org/wbur. This year we are offering three ticket options: • $25 Virtual Admission ticket • $100 Virtual VIP ticket which includes a gift box with treats to share with your family while you watch the reading (tickets are limited) • $150 CitySpace VIP ticket which includes admission to the live event at WBUR’s CitySpace venue (tickets are limited) Proceeds will benefit all of Rosie’s Place’s vital programs and services for poor and homeless women. Please note, ticket holders will receive the exclusive link and login information for the event in early December. All purchases require a valid email address in order to include the necessary details to join the virtual event. We hope you can join us for this festive evening that is sure to spread holiday cheer as well as support the important work of Rosie’s Place.
www.rosiesplace.org 889 Harrison Avenue Boston, MA 02118
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