SPRING 2022 A Mother’s Journey and a Daughter’s Thanks Our President on the Gift of a Fresh Start Our Marathon Team Take Action to Make Change
NEWS
Our Generous Community of Friends Safe & Sound: A Special Event for Our Guests How You Can Help A Mother’s Day Gift Idea of Note
Q&A
SANDY MARIANO
CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER
What kinds of mental health supports do we offer our guests? Our team of three experts works together to address a host of different and often concurrent conditions that our guests struggle with such as chronic mental illness, PTSD and addiction. Our Recovery Support Navigator works to ensure the health and safety of our guests who are battling addiction while promoting their recovery and stability. Our Mental Health Clinician provides therapy, resources and crisis intervention to our guests. And through our partnership with the Department of Mental Health, we have a specialist who works with guests who are struggling with severe mental illness that has kept them chronically homeless, to secure supportive housing and care. What does this help look like, day-to-day at Rosie’s Place? It could be helping a guest to get her prescription filled so that she can maintain her equilibrium. Or that we help a woman secure a therapist or a spot in rehab. It could even look like the full meditation class being led in our Wellness Center. Consistency and access to help are what so many of our guests are missing in their lives. And that’s exactly what we strive to provide. Every day, through the welcome we give and the judgementand barrier-free help we offer, we are telling our guests that they can count on us, that we are here for them however they need us for as long as they need us. Over your career, have you seen perceptions of mental illness and mental wellness shift? For so long, folks living with mental illness have been seen as other, less than, less intelligent and even weak. And this public stigma creates selfstigma for people struggling with mental illness, trauma and substance use disorder. They can feel ashamed about their conditions, hopeless or unworthy of help so sometimes they don’t seek it. I think the pandemic is helping these perceptions to change. The acute anxiety, depression, trauma and grief that so many people have been forced to confront over the past two-plus years has really de-stigmatized the discussion around mental illness and amplified the importance of mental health. In many ways, we are all sharing some of the same struggles and that has been equalizing and liberating in this work.
A Mother’s Journey and a Daughter’s Thanks Recognizing that many of our guests live with mental illness, Rosie’s Place provides wraparound services to address their immediate, long-term and specialized needs. Below is an excerpt from a letter we recently received from the daughter of one of our longtime guests that speaks to the impact such an illness can have on one woman’s path—as well as the difference that our help can make, thanks to your support.
offered. She spiraled out of control and bounced around between shelters and rented rooms.
On a whim one day, Mom took a bus to Boston and somehow made her way to Rosie’s Place. At first, she was a guest in your shelter and eventually, you all helped her to stabilize her mental illness and secure an apartment of her own not far from Rosie’s Place. She was happy to be back in Massachusetts and determined to live independently. I want to thank everyone at Rosie’s Place for all you did for Over time, she reconnected with her family there as well as my mom who was one of your guests for many years. She some of her children. suffered from untreated bipolar disorder for more than 40 years and I believe it was through the interventions of your I visited her whenever I could and we spoke on the phone incredibly dedicated staff that she was finally able to get often. Mom would frequently take the bus to Rosie’s Place stabilized, on medication and live the life she deserved in for meals and to connect with services and the friends she had made there. She always spoke highly of the food, the her “golden years.” staff and the guests at Rosie’s Place.
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You gave my mom dignity, you lifted her up and helped her get back on her feet and see value in herself and her life…You sheltered her, provided safety, stability, social and mental health services, food, clothing…the list is truly endless.
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Sandy Mariano has been with Rosie’s Place since 2002. Over the years, her role has expanded and evolved, just as our programs and services have. She began as our Mental Health Shelter Specialist and for the past 11 years has served as a member of our senior management team. Today, Sandy oversees all of our Advocacy programs, which include mental health support, and our emergency services and education programs.
My mom was born and raised in Massachusetts. Her loving parents provided her with a childhood she fondly remembered. Unfortunately, as Mom came of age, her manic depression/bipolar disorder manifested and although she was once hospitalized for it, she did not remain on medication and her very serious condition went untreated.
Several years ago, my mom’s mental and physical needs became more complex. With the help of the Housing Specialist at Rosie’s Place, I was able to move Mom into an assisted living facility where she could receive the care she needed.
This past September was the first time I was able to see my I think her family felt so much shame around her illness that mom in two years due to the pandemic. We celebrated her they never spoke of it for decades, living in denial and simply birthday and had a lovely reunion. trying to hope or will it away. My family was shocked and saddened when my mom My mom was just a young woman when she met my dad suffered a sudden heart attack just two months later and and three weeks later, they eloped and moved to Michigan passed away. Mom was a great lady, most people who knew where my dad was from. Within the next several years they her said she was so kind and generous, especially when had four children together. My parents were married almost properly taking her medication. 20 years when my mom, who was on a constant roller coaster ride due to her untreated bipolar disorder, divorced I am incredibly grateful that she found Rosie’s Place and that you saw her as a whole person, not just someone struggling my father. to control her illness. You gave my mom dignity, you lifted Despite her illness, instability and difficulty maintaining her up and helped her get back on her feet and see value employment or managing money, my mother received in herself and her life. Through the variety of services that custody of all her children. For years, our lives were in a you provide and have access to, she was given the proper perpetual state of chaos. medical and dental care she desperately needed. You sheltered her, provided safety, stability, social and mental My siblings and I were just teenagers and young adults health services, food, clothing…the list is truly endless. when Mom lost our home to foreclosure. She wasn’t willing to accept that she was mentally ill and needed medicine to Thank you, Rosie’s Place, for giving my mom the compassion control her major mood swings and refused any help we and kindness she deserved.
Our President on the Gift of a Fresh Start Dear Friend, Every day at Rosie’s Place, we meet women who are in crisis— living in poverty and instability, going without so much in order just to get by. Some of our guests have spent years alone, away from their families and friends—in struggle, and often experiencing shame—battling mental illness, trauma or substance use disorder. Compounded by the ceaseless pressure and chaos of being poor or unhoused, these conditions are only exacerbated. For women living in crisis, in day-to-day survival mode, the need for housing, food and safety usually overshadows any mental health needs. At Rosie’s Place, we work hard to destigmatize mental illness and to position our programming in a welcoming way so that those who need help most will be more willing to seek it. By offering low-barrier services like showers, lockers, laundry, meals and day shelter that offers engagement or quiet respite, we meet a woman where she is, as she is. And in this way, we build trust and establish the comfort of routine so that over time, we can work with her to set a course to stability and wellness. One of the most important things that Rosie’s Place gives a guest who is struggling to regain her mental health is a fresh start. We never let a relapse define a woman. And we never hold an outburst or an episode against her. While yesterday may have felt like her worst day, today is a new one. For women who most likely weren’t given a fair chance the first time, never mind a second one, that can be a powerful gift. The spectrum of immediate, long-term and specialized help we provide at Rosie’s Place aims to address not only the symptoms and situations resulting from untreated mental illness or addiction— such as hunger or homelessness—but also the root causes. This is why we offer the help of our Recovery Support Navigator, our clinician and our Mental Health Specialist. And through work with our Advocacy, Legal, and Housing Specialists, we’re able to develop individualized plans for our guests. As the letter on page one of this newsletter, written by a loving daughter, illustrates, the guests of Rosie’s Place have complex lives and complex needs that are not resolved easily or overnight. It is thanks to friends like you that we are able to offer our help in the most straightforward and compassionate manner—without time limits, conditions or judgement—for some of our hardest-toreach guests. Thank you for believing in the women and work of Rosie’s Place. Thank you for enabling us to be a sanctuary, a steppingstone and a fresh start for so many women in need with nowhere else to turn. With appreciation,
Leemarie Mosca
Please support Rosie’s Place by making a donation online at www.rosiesplace.org/springnews22 or by sending a gift in the enclosed envelope. We thank you! 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.
Meet the Team of Supporters Running for Rosie’s Place on April 18th Rosie’s Place has received three fundraising bibs for the 2022 Boston Marathon, and we’re thrilled! Our team will proudly represent Rosie’s Place at the race while raising money to support our services for poor and homeless women. Matthew Geis is a junior at Tulane University, majoring in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and minoring in Mathematics. Outside of school, Matt works as an EMT and as a stem cell researcher. Growing up in Boston, Matt has long dreamed of running the Boston Marathon and is so happy to be able to run on our behalf: “Rosie’s Place’s values are near to my heart and I am honored to be able to help them fulfill them as I run on their team!”
Daniel Rossignol grew up in Massachusetts and currently works in California. Before moving west, Dan worked in the Legal Program at Rosie’s Place during his AmeriCorps service year. He says of our community, “I witnessed the remarkable work Rosie’s Place does on a daily basis, from providing a morning cup of coffee to legal representation on complex legal cases. I cannot wait to continue serving the women of Rosie’s Place through the Boston Marathon.”
Martin Schmidbaur was born and raised in Germany, studied in England, and now resides in New York City where he works as a communications consultant. Martin and his family are longtime friends of Rosie’s Place and he is proud to continue this legacy. “I couldn’t be happier to be running it for a cause that means so much to dear ones around me, in a city that already means so much to me,” says Martin.
For each of our runners, this year’s Boston Marathon is their first! We hope you will join us in supporting them as they support us. Please consider making a gift today to help our team cross the finish line! Visit www.rosiesplace.org/boston-marathon to donate and learn more. All proceeds support Rosie’s Place.
Take Action to Make Mass IDs, Opportunity & Help Accessible to All Too often, people experiencing homelessness have difficulty accessing and maintaining identification documents. This means they face increased barriers to basic and critical services, supports and opportunities. Without proof of identity, an individual cannot complete employment or housing applications, enroll in school, seek government assistance and much more. Currently, applicants for Mass IDs are required to provide their birth certificate, social security card and two documents that prove their residency as well as pay $25 to $50 in fees. For people living in shelters or on the streets, these documents and fees are nearly impossible to provide and afford. Every day at Rosie’s Place, we work to break down these barriers by providing Mass ID funding and application help to our guests. And with a new bill in the works, Massachusetts may help advance these efforts. In January, the Massachusetts Senate unanimously passed Senator Harriette Chandler’s Bill S.2612: An Act to provide identification to youth and adults experiencing homelessness. If this bill is passed by the House of Representatives and signed by the governor, it will give poor and unhoused individuals access to state IDs by waiving fees and allowing them to provide an alternative proof of residency such as verification letters from homeless shelters, social service agencies or other state agencies. Our Public Policy program is advocating to ensure that this bill gains momentum and support as it moves to the Massachusetts House of Representatives, and we hope you will join us. To support this bill, please contact our Public Policy program at ttran@rosiesplace.org, or contact your state representative.
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.
Communityof
Friends
Huge thanks to our friends at WBUR CitySpace, who held their 19th annual performance of Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol as a hybrid virtual and in-person event on December 20th, to benefit Rosie’s Place. This beloved holiday reading raised critical funds for our work and featured WBUR hosts and reporters Meghna Chakrabarti, Tiziana Dearing, Jack Lepiarz, Bob Oakes and Rupa Shenoy, along with a musical performance by Syncopation.
holidays at rosie’s place
As always, the holiday season was festive and fun at Rosie’s Place with delicious meals enjoyed and many happy memories made. We also provided 1,000 women with holiday gifts. We appreciate everyone who made the season special for our community!
We are so grateful to have been a part of Westnet, Inc. and Rossi Foundation’s “2 million mask initiative!” The 100,000 masks donated to Rosie’s Place will make a huge difference for our guests and help to keep our community safe during the pandemic.
A shoutout to the members of our Young Professionals Network who came together to create nearly 200 holiday gift bags for our guests!
Big gratitude to Mickey Alroy and everyone at the Greater Boston Chapter of the American Society of Safety Professionals who collected $1,000 worth of gift cards for our guests so that they could enjoy shopping for themselves or others.
Blossom House and their customers donated beautiful centerpieces, providing festive decorations for our Dining Room’s Christmas celebration. Thank you for helping us deck the halls!
Did K ? You
now
Our Employment Specialist is now partnering with the hiring team at Stop & Shop to help our guests identify, apply for and secure a variety of positions in their stores across Greater Boston. Through workshops, training resources and one-on-one support, our Employment Specialist helps our guests to join or re-join the workforce.
We have distributed hundreds of rapid COVID-19 tests alongside bags filled with nutritious supplemental groceries to guests who access our Food Pantry. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, our priority is to keep our guests healthy, safe and informed.
Spring semester in our Women’s Education Center began in March with enthusiastic participation from our guests and volunteer teachers alike. This year, we have provided 25 computers to students so they can attend virtual classes, advance their technology skills and access educational resources and supports.
Every week, our Advocacy team hosts a drop-in housing clinic for guests who have questions or are interested in learning more about finding stable, affordable housing. We also partner with the Department of Public Health, Homestart and HEARTH to provide Housing Search Specialists and a Housing Peer Navigator whose expert assistance helps women through the often complex and timeintensive housing search process.
Our President/CEO, Leemarie Mosca, has been appointed to Massachusetts’ newly-convened Federal Funds Equity & Accountability Review Panel to track how American Rescue Plan Act funds are spent in communities that were disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
Note cards
make a lovely gift
Rosie’s Place note cards are a perfect gift idea for any occasion, and this springtime favorite, Egrets Aloft (pictured), is available just in time for Mother’s Day. Choose this card or three other scenes, each depicting a different New England season. With artwork donated by acclaimed artist 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 www.rosiesplace.org/notecards.
ROSIE’S PLACE
| Safe & Sound 2022
Every Day in Every Way
In order to keep the Rosie’s Place community safe and sound, we have made the difficult decision to not hold our annual Safe & Sound gala in person this year. Instead, we hope you will join us as we celebrate the resilience of our guests and the rebirth of spring with Safe & Sound: A Special Event for Our Guests. Every day, women in need come to Rosie’s Place for sanctuary, sustenance and unconditional love. On Friday, May 6th, we will honor them with a festive and fun evening in our Dining Room. To help raise vital funds for our work, we will launch our Safe & Sound campaign on Monday, May 2nd. Keep an eye on your email for messages featuring our longtime friends, Susan Wornick and Jack Lepiarz, some of our favorite local chefs, Rosie’s Place program updates and a special message from our President/ CEO, Leemarie Mosca. The pandemic has brought continued hardships for the women that we serve. It is your generosity that allows Rosie’s Place to meet these critical needs with compassion every day in every way we can. For more information, please visit www.rosiesplace.org/gala.
How You Can Help With both on-site and remote opportunities, it’s never been easier to volunteer your time and talents to Rosie’s Place! To learn more about volunteering, both in-person and off-site, visit www.rosiesplace.org/get-involved or email volunteer@rosiesplace.org. • Volunteer On-Site | From preparing and serving a meal in our Dining Room to substitute teaching in our Women’s Education Center, there are a variety of on-site volunteer positions we need your help filling. To learn more about our COVID-19 protocols and how to register to volunteer with us, visit www.bit.ly/VolRegRP. • Lead a Virtual Food Drive | Help stock our Pantry shelves by contributing to our food drive or starting your own at www.bit.ly/2022RPDrive. • Create Care Packages | Many guests are stretching already-insufficient budgets to cover high food and housing costs for themselves and their families. Rosie’s Place assists with these urgent needs as well as other essentials, like toiletries and personal care products. Check out www.rosiesplace.org/carepackages for specific guidelines and apply for community service hours at www.bit.ly/ComServHours. • Fulfill a Wishlist Need | When you purchase items through our Amazon Wishlist www.amzn.to/3hWmgJI, the specific items we need most get shipped directly to us in a safe and timely manner.
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