In 2022, Jason Ercolano filled a new position at Rosie’s Place, Director of Research and Evaluation. He brings over 30 years of program management and evaluation experience in social service organizations to his work collecting data, building evaluation tools and measuring impact so that we can best serve our guests.
Yours is a newer role at Rosie’s Place. How does it connect with other longstanding programs and services?
Meeting our guests’ often complicated needs, is what my colleagues working in direct service programs do, every day at Rosie’s Place. That has always and will always come first for them. So, my role is to actively observe their work. To measure, quantify and extract all kinds of data points from their work and then assemble it to tell a story.
What kind of data do you collect?
One example is in our Dining Room. We count how many meals we serve each day but we also look for trends, patterns and outliers. Is lunch or dinner busier on certain days or in certain months than others and if so, why? This helps us to better plan for potential surges in need.
We also seek our guests’ opinions and experiences directly. When a woman starts her stay in our Overnight Shelter, we ask her to fill out a survey that asks her everything from how she learned about Rosie’s Place to what she wants our help with while she’s staying with us. At the close of her stay, we will ask for her feedback on her experience and how we can continue to support her.
We never want to ask our guests questions that are unnecessary to serving them or collect data that is disruptive or intrusive. We will never ask more questions of our guests than we need to. Our sole focus is on collecting data that will inform and improve how we serve our community.
Have you noticed any trends in our data?
Growth! From food assistance to help with rent and utilities, the need for our help continues to grow. Thankfully, with our new Strategic Plan, Rosie’s Place is continuing to expand and increase our services to meet our guests’ growing needs. (See our chart on page 2 to see our growth.)
What’s a favorite part of your job?
The people I get to work with! My colleagues are so passionate about their work. I love that I feel like an honorary member of each department, because we are always collaborating to make Rosie’s Place the best place it can be for our guests.
Providing Sanctuary, Providing Family
Growing up, Nina never knew what to expect each time she came home. Her childhood was marked by chaos and dysfunction. As she got older, one thing she did know for certain was that she couldn’t depend on her family for the support she needed.
She left home as soon as she graduated high school and spent years spiraling in and out of deep depression and homelessness, pinballing between couch surfing with friends and living on the streets when that wasn’t an option. Eventually, Nina got an office job, an apartment she shared with roommates and connected to the mental health supports she’d long needed. For a few years, her life was routine and steady, just as she had always wanted.
Then she got married and a couple of years later, gave birth to her daughter Luisa. For a while, Nina worked to make her family the one she had always wanted. But unfortunately, the turmoil she was all too familiar with returned when her husband became abusive. She fled with Luisa and moved to Massachusetts hoping to put a safe distance between them. With the little savings she had, Nina was able to get her and her daughter set up in a new apartment in Boston. Nina found a waitressing job. Luisa started pre-school, and over time, the mother and daughter found their footing in the new city. But once more, this stability was short-lived.
When Luisa became seriously sick with what was later diagnosed as juvenile diabetes, Nina, with no family or friends to turn to for support, stayed home to take care of her. As a result, she lost too many shifts at work and the bills began to pile up. And Nina’s anxiety increased.
SPRING 2025
Providing Sanctuary, Providing Family Q & A with Our Director of Research & Evaluation
Coming Back and Giving Back
Our President on Growing to Meet Growing Needs
Team Rosie’s Place Runs the Boston Marathon
Extending Welcome and Support to Immigrants
Safe & Sound Gala on May 7th
Even once Luisa’s health was stabilized and Nina got all her shifts back at work—the bills continued snowballing. Nina could never catch up. And then her landlord began threatening eviction. Afraid they could be homeless, she felt out of both options and hope when a coworker told her about Rosie’s Place.
Nina called our Advocacy Helpline and came in with Luisa the next day to meet with one of our Advocates. We were able to help mother and daughter with their back rent and utility arrears and remain stable in their home with our eviction prevention funding. As Nina said, “Once I spoke with an Advocate and learned that Rosie’s Place could help me, I felt like a tremendous weight had been lifted. It was like I had been holding my breath for so long and now I could finally breathe.”
With day-to-day management, Luisa’s diabetes is under control, and she is a very active and inquisitive kindergartener. Nina is waitressing full-time and also working with our Employment Specialist to find a job with better hours and benefits. She keeps her mental health stable by regularly connecting with our Behavioral Health Program’s team and the staff of our Wellness Center. Nina and Luisa often enjoy dinners in our Dining Room and rely on groceries from our Food Pantry to stretch their monthly budget.
Nina found consistency, family and sanctuary at Rosie’s Place. As she says, “Every time I come in, I know I’ll be welcomed. During some of the hardest days of my life, they were there for me. For some people, they have family that they can count on. Lusia and I have Rosie’s Place, and I couldn’t be more grateful.”
Coming Back and Giving Back
Almost fifteen years ago, Monique Johnson was a student at Roxbury Community College, struggling to keep up with the high expenses that pursuing higher education meant for her. When a classmate told her that she had found help at Rosie’s Place, Monique reached out to our Women’s Education Center. We were able to assist Monique with funding to cover textbooks for the year. As she says, “this helped me tremendously.”
While Monique went on to graduate from Roxbury Community College and then UMASS Boston with a BA in Psychology, she never forgot about Rosie’s Place. She recently returned to volunteer in our Dining Room to return the kindness she received. A working mother of three with plans to pursue an MA in Psychology in the near future, Monique carves out time to come in and help our staff prepare and serve lunch in our Dining Room each month.
Says Monique of being back at Rosie’s Place, “It’s just a good feeling. I like the atmosphere here. I really enjoy the time I spend at Rosie’s Place, and it always goes by so fast!”
Our Dining Room is open 365 days a year, with breakfast, lunch and dinner offered onsite or to-go. Last year alone, we served 152,000 nutritious and culturally inclusive meals, a 47% increase from the year before, and an average of more than 400 meals a day.
Learn more about volunteering in our Dining Room and our host of individual and group, on-site and virtual volunteer opportunities at rosiesplace.org/get-involved.
Our President on Growing to Meet Growing Needs
Dear Friend,
How fitting that as we gain more sunlight with each passing day, this Spring issue of Rosie’s Place News finds us reflecting on our growth.
We first opened our doors on Easter Sunday in 1974. In an abandoned storefront on Columbus Avenue, Kip Tiernan and a few likeminded friends welcomed guests with coffee and sandwiches. From these very modest beginnings, our community began to grow and flourish.
Today, providing compassionate and comprehensive, emergency, expert and long-term support to more than 12,000 women in need every year, Rosie’s Place is so much more than a shelter. We are an abiding safety net for thousands of women with nowhere else to turn.
Thanks to friends like you, through the decades, through unprecedented and unpredictable challenges, Rosie’s Place has more than endured. We have evolved. As our guests’ needs have grown, so too has our help.
In 2025, the dignity, sanctuary and support that we provide has never been needed more.
From meals and groceries to expert legal, housing and stabilization assistance and much more—every day, we meet women who never thought they would need our help.
And while we now have even more numbers and data to inform and chart our growth—at the core of our work, inspiring all that we do, are the voices and experiences of these women.
We will never ask a guest to provide proof of her homelessness or hunger. But we will always ask her, How are you? What do you need? How can we help?
And most importantly, we will listen to these answers. Listen to these stories. Stories such as Nina’s, who you will read about within these pages, and thousands more women like her, who relied on Rosie’s Place when they had nowhere else to turn. For us, this will always be the most important data.
The story of Rosie’s Place is one of growing to meet growing needs.
It’s also one of community. Kip once said, “The journey to justice can only be made in the company of others.” Today and tomorrow, we could not be more grateful to be in your company, dear friends. Your generosity has enabled us to grow. And with your company, over the next three years, we will expand and increase all of our programming to serve thousands more women in more ways.
When more is asked of us, we find a way to do more and be more for our community. And so, the journey must continue.
In solidarity,
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
Chief External Relations Officer Sue Chandler
Director of Communications/Editor Jamie Doyle
Contributors Cera Smith and Anna McCracken
Design Colette O’Neill
As Needs Have Grown, So Has Our Help
Meals Served in Our Dining Room
With one in three Massachusetts households struggling with hunger, our Food Programs have never been more critical. In our Dining Room, breakfast, lunch and dinner is served 365 days a year with both on-site and to-go options.
Households Served Through Our Food Pantry Each Month
Over the course of a decade, demand for our Food Pantry has skyrocketed and in response, we have grown our capacity by transforming our delivery model, enabling us to serve more women than ever before.
Advocacy Visits
Today, women in need can connect with one of our multilingual Advocates both on-site and through our Advocacy Helpline to receive immediate and compassionate assistance with both emergency and long-term needs.
Guests Who Remained Housed with Eviction Prevention Assistance
From 2020 to 2024, our Eviction Prevention efforts more than tripled. Assistance with back rent and utility arrearage meant the difference between stability and homelessness for thousands of women and their children last year alone.
Rosie’s Place Staff
Increasing our impact has meant building our staff so we can provide the most comprehensive and thoughtful support possible. Today, we are serving more women in more ways than ever before.
Help Team Rosie’s Place Cross the Finish Line!
Team Rosie’s Place is proud to be running the 129th Boston Marathon® presented by Bank of America on Monday, April 21st! We hope you will join us in supporting Scott, Sarah, Luis, Maggie and Mary as they support the women and work of Rosie’s Place. Meet 2025’s Team Rosie’s Place!
Despite 47 years of competitive running, Scott Bortoff credits becoming a grandfather for inspiring him to run the Boston Marathon. Scott and his wife Kelly Race are longtime friends of Rosie’s Place, and he is excited for the “chance to run in support of Rosie’s Place, a giver of second chances to so many women in need.”
Sarah Collard is passionate about running and philanthropy. She is thrilled to be running her first marathon and shares, “It’s an honor to raise funds and awareness on behalf of Rosie’s Place.” Sarah lives in Hingham with her biggest supporters, her husband and two children.
Luis Matho has completed several marathons. But for him, this one is extra special, “I’m excited to run for Rosie’s Place because I’m deeply moved by their mission to provide sanctuary and support for women who are struggling with poverty and homelessness.”
Not only will this be Maggie Monaghan’s second time running the Boston Marathon—but it will be her second time running it for Rosie’s Place! The years she’s spent volunteering at Rosie’s Place have made an indelible impact on her. As she says, “I’m so grateful to be running in support of an organization that I so deeply believe in.”
Since the birth of their daughter in 2008, Mary Warner and her husband have been supporting Rosie’s Place in her honor. The 129th Boston Marathon will mark Mary’s 1,858th consecutive day of running! She is excited for her daughter to watch her run on behalf of Rosie’s Place, “a transformative place,” as she calls it.
FRIENDS COMMUNITY OF
Thank you to all at Point32Health who generously donated hundreds of Care Packages for our guests We strive to include these bundles of essential hygiene products with every batch of groceries we distribute through our Food Pantry.
Learn how you can help us meet this vital community need at rosiesplace.org/carepackages.
, Rosie’s Place joined our coalition partners of the Massachusetts Immigrant and annual “Immigrants Day.” Fellow activists from across the Commonwealth gathered to recognize and celebrate the extraordinary social, economic and cultural contributions immigrants make to Boston and Massachusetts. They also met with legislators to advocate for the Safe Communities Act, the Immigrant Legal Defense Act, Dignity Not Deportations and other key legislation impacting immigrants.
At Rosie’s Place, we continue to extend welcome and support to the many newcomers to America we meet every day and to the many immigrants who have relied on us as they have built new lives here.
Staff in our Advocacy, Women’s Education Center and Legal Programs are making sure our guests know their rights through mailings, trainings, videos and on-site clinics with our legal partners Lawyers for Civil Rights, Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School and Rian Immigrant Center. Every day, guests with questions and concerns about their immigration status come in to meet with us or call our Advocacy and Legal Helplines. And every day, we respond with compassion and impactful help. As we have been for more than half a century, Rosie’s Place remains a steadfast ally and advocate for our guests.
To learn about our Public Policy work and join our Action Network, scan the QR code below:
Rosie’s Place accepts no government funds and relies instead on committed supporters like you!
? Did you know
Each week, guests gather in our Wellness Center to practice mindfulness. Through guided meditations, guests can learn and practice techniques to promote peace and relaxation.
We also host weekly Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, yoga classes and acupuncture and Reiki practitioners. The Center promotes a holistic approach to wellness and accommodated almost 1,400 visits in the past year.
A January episode of WCVB’s Chronicle profiled Rosie’s Place. President/CEO Leemarie Mosca and dear friend of Rosie’s Place, Florence, spoke with Shayna Seymour about what our community means to them as well as what it has meant to countless women for more than 50 years. Scan the QR code to see this moving visit to Rosie’s Place.
The Young Professionals Network (YPN) of Rosie’s Place is a membership-based group of individuals under the age of 40 with an interest in supporting poor and homeless women through volunteering and philanthropy. YPN provides fun opportunities for members to learn more about our organization while networking and meeting other people committed to social responsibility in Boston. Learn more about becoming a member at rosiesplace.org/get-involved/youngprofessional-network.
Rosie’s Place staff took part in Boston’s 45th annual Homeless Census. This process is a reminder that everyone, no matter where they sleep, counts. Data from this census is helpful insight that informs our programming and planning.
In January, Senior Director of Advocacy Services, Isabelle Cetoute, was a panelist at the National Women’s Shelter Network’s annual conference in Washington, DC. Addressing peer organizations from across the country, Isabelle shared Rosie’s Place’s approach to providing trauma-informed care through all our programs and services. We are honored to have been a part of this important conversation and conference.
We are grateful to the Social Action group from Temple Beth Shalom in Needham who donated lovely Valentine’s Day-themed baskets full of self-care items for guests in our Overnight Shelter.
A Noteworthy Gift Idea
Rosie’s Place note cards are a perfect gift idea for any occasion, and this springtime favorite, First Light on the River (pictured), is available just in time for Mother’s Day. Painted by acclaimed artist, Sam Vokey, as he stood on the banks of the Charles River in Cambridge, this quiet dawn scene is a perfect reminder of spring mornings in Boston. Choose this card or three other scenes, each depicting a different New England season. With artwork graciously donated by Sam Vokey, we offer a pack of 10 for $18 or a variety pack with four cards of each image for $24. View all the images and order at rosiesplace.org/notecards.
Rosie’s Place’s Safe & Sound Gala
Wednesday, May 7, 2025 | 6:00 - 9:00 pm The Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts
Join us for a memorable evening featuring signature creations from Boston’s best culinary talents, expertly paired wines, the opportunity to bid on one-of-a-kind auction packages and much more!
Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available now! For information, please contact Olivia Davis Wilson at odaviswilson@rosiesplace.org or 617.318.0211 or visit rosiesplace.org/gala.
Your Legacy, Her Opportunity
Caring support from friends like you enables Rosie’s Place to remain a lifeline for every woman who seeks our help.
Below are some tax-advantaged giving options to consider that will allow your generosity to help sustain our work now and for years to come.
• IRA Rollover/Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD)
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.
• Gifts of Stock
Donate an appreciated stock and avoid capital gains tax, while receiving a charitable deduction of the full fair-market value.
• Donor-Advised Fund (DAF)
Recommend a one-time or recurring grant to Rosie’s Place from your DonorAdvised Fund, or name Rosie’s Place as a beneficiary of your DAF. Contact your fund representative for details.
• Planned Gift
You can create a better future for our guests and make an impact for years to come by including Rosie’s Place in your estate plans.
For more information, please contact Matt DeAngelis at 617.318.0294 or mdeangelis@rosiesplace.org, or visit plannedgiving.rosiesplace.org.
Thank you! We appreciate your consideration and commitment to our guests.
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 85 cents of every dollar raised goes directly to services for poor and homeless women.
FUNNY WOMEN...SERIOUS BUSINESS Thursday, November 6, 2025 at 12:00PM The Boston Convention and Exhibition Center
Join us for the always-entertaining and always-inspiring annual, Funny Women…Serious Business luncheon. This year’s event features Rachel Louise Snyder, an award-winning investigative journalist and author of the acclaimed memoir Women We Buried, Women We Burned. Check our social media or visit rosiesplace.org soon for details.
