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.