Rosie's Place Spring Newsletter 2015

SPRING 2015 Outreach Program Improves Guests’ Health New Rosie’s Place Satellite in Dorchester Enhanced Legal Services Our Executive Director on our Community Commitment

NEWS

Anniversary Mural is Dedicated Striking New Mother’s Day Necklace

consistent support for follow-through of medical recommendations.

Beyond Housing, to Health

Q&A

CATHERINE LOUIS

community collaborative manager Catherine Louis has spent more than 15 years in the social service field. Since 2007, she has been a lifeline to the women of Rosie’s Place as an Advocate, providing vital understanding and support to a diverse group of women, with a focus on those from Haiti. Now, Catherine is taking her advocacy skills to the newlyestablished Rosie’s Place satellite at the Franklin Field Public Housing Development in Dorchester as Community Collaborative Manager.

What led Rosie’s Place to Franklin Field?

In keeping with our mission to meet women where they are, Rosie’s Place is becoming more focused on bringing services to women who aren’t able to come to us at 889 Harrison Avenue. The tenants at Franklin Field are similar in many ways to our guests in that they are mainly female-headed households, juggling multiple priorities, and many are at or below the poverty level. And there are not a lot of services in that area of Dorchester, so we are trying to fill a gap.

What will Rosie’s Place offer there?

We plan on bringing in one-to-one advocacy assistance to meet the tenants’ self-identified needs; long-term in-home support for those who struggle to maintain their housing; family law services such as a drop-in legal clinic and appointments; and a career counselor. Our goal is to replicate the Rosie’s Place experience in the community.

What are your responsibilities as Community Collaborative Manager?

My job is to oversee the coordination of services as well as provide direct service to Franklin Field tenants, just as I did at Rosie’s Place. I am also putting together referral resources and will bring on-site some of the groups we already partner with, like Greater Boston Legal Services and Community Works Services. I will work to be visible and make available services better known to the tenants through a variety of methods. For instance, I am organizing a health fair this spring that will include diverse partners providing free health screenings. Such events help build trust and ultimately make tenants more comfortable coming to me for help.

Why is this job a good fit for you?

This is my field of expertise and I am passionate about helping people meet their needs. I have been given a great opportunity to not only bring essential services to the tenants at Franklin Field, but to support the women who seek them as well. I believe knowledge is power, and by giving women vital information, they can make better choices for themselves. Empowering women and watching them move forward to the next level is very gratifying to me.

Eleven years ago, Rosie’s Place won an award from the Boston Foundation to create a homelessness prevention program that would offer in-home services to women with mental illness who recently found housing after a period of homelessness. Today, these services are thriving. Three housing stabilization workers make monthly visits to 110 women who face special challenges in maintaining their homes. And the program is successful, ensuring that more than 90% of these at-risk tenants keep their housing. Over time, we recognized that some women have needs different from the guests we met at the start of this program–and so one of our newest efforts was born.

Increasingly, our staff found that many of the guests we visit at home suffered serious or chronic health conditions.

The Community Health Worker (CHW) Program was created to address this.

“We knew that some of our guests had very stable housing, and staff members were spending considerable amounts of time dealing with doctors and medical appointments,” says Rosie’s Place Executive Director Sue Marsh. “This program is a way to better match need and resources.”

Advocating for guests

Rosie’s Place partnered with Blue Cross/ Blue Shield volunteers at the outset, who helped with the design of the program by researching similar models to provide ideas and comparisons. Guissela Mariluz, who was acutely aware of this need over her 31/2 years as a stabilization worker, was hired to lead the CHW program about six months ago and currently is seeing 12 guests on a regular basis. “We found that many of our guests have a dual diagnosis–mental health and substance abuse issues–which creates barriers to their medical treatment,” she says. “They might have no connection to the health care system at all, often because they feel they have been previously mistreated, or they don’t speak English, or they don’t have the ability to follow through. I try to help our guests feel more positive about establishing new medical relationships.”

The CHW program’s main areas of focus are connecting guests with health insurance and explaining coverage; assisting with the selection of a medical facility, physician and/or behavioral health program/provider; accompanying guests to medical appointments, advocating for them and interpreting information; helping guests obtain prescriptions and follow dosage guidelines; providing translation services and access to transportation to appointments; and, generally, offering

Luciana’s Story Luciana has been a part of the Rosie’s Place community ever since she came to our door seeking a bed in October 2004. A native of the Dominican Republic, Luciana was suffering from severe depression and had recently been separated from her husband and children. She stayed at Rosie’s Place intermittently over the following months until she was able to find an apartment. Quickly, Rosie’s Place became central to her life. “They were an immense help to me,” she says, with her Community Health Worker (CHW) Guissela Mariluz translating.

“They helped me get settled in my first apartment, helped with the deposit and furniture, helped with so much.”

Guissela adds, “She has virtually no income and depends on Rosie’s Place and agencies likes us for almost

everything,” including meals, groceries from the food pantry and clothing.

With low literacy and a limited ability to speak English, Luciana has come to rely on Rosie’s Place to help manage her health needs and housing issues.

She is a frequent visitor to the Wellness Center, where the medical staff works in concert with her doctors to manage her diabetes.

As Guissela previously was Luciana’s housing stabilization worker, the transition to her new role was seamless. Luciana’s new stabilization worker is now connecting with the Boston Housing Authority to have her apartment moved from the third to the first floor of her building, because she has trouble climbing the stairs.

Guissela has now been focused on finding a new medical team to oversee

Guissela’s assistance can be multifaceted. Recently, she spent upwards of 30 hours working with a 51-year-old guest, Luciana, who was not attending to her diabetes. After many phone calls, she learned that Luciana’s MassHealth Limited coverage requires that she get prescriptions from the hospital where she receives care, which is MGH Chelsea.

But their pharmacy is located at MGH Boston, which means a trip to another location. So while Luciana is waiting for an appointment to get a new health team at Boston Medical Center, which is nearer her home, Guissela made arrangements and went with her to Chelsea to pick up the scripts, and then headed to MGH Boston to pick up her meds. (Read more about Luciana below.)

Guissela also aims to improve interactions between guests and medical professionals.

She often finds that women who are severely mentally ill might not make eye contact or speak clearly at appointments, and that can lead to dismissive treatment.

At a recent eye appointment, the doctor was short with such a guest and she immediately wanted to leave. Guissela was present to advocate and intervene and was able to diffuse the situation so the guest could complete the visit and take her glasses home.

“For a long time, I heard from our guests that they were being stigmatized and mistreated, and I could only help in a peripheral way,” Guissela recalls. “Now I can speak up for a guest and help her get what she needs. And the health results are better when I can encourage our guests to stay connected with their providers. There is so much we can do now, and I believe it will make a positive difference.” not only her diabetes but also her depression and the results of two ministrokes she suffered in recent months.

In just the past two weeks, Guissela has been working with Luciana every day to help get her prescriptions filled and to review a schedule they have worked out so she will stay on track.

“I heard her tell her doctor that she had been so depressed but now she is feeling hopeful because she knows there are other [medical] people who are going to help her.” She has just started an ESOL class in the Women’s Education Center and we have helped her with transportation for a visit with her son in central Massachusetts. “I don’t know what I’d do without Rosie’s Place,” Luciana says.

Our Executive Director on our Community Commitment Dear Friends: There is a lot I love about Rosie’s Place, and its ability to travel well is near the top. Our style and culture of providing services to poor and homeless women doesn’t depend upon a special kind of building, or a particular location. Instead, we’ve found that we can deliver services almost anywhere–and so we do. Undoubtedly this cando spirit comes from our beginnings, when Kip Tiernan and her “merry band of volunteers” set up shop in an abandoned supermarket. From there, they made their way to dilapidated rooming house, and finally they found a home in a church that had been razed more than 70 years before Rosie’s Place arrived.

Many Rosie’s Place programs had similar itinerant beginnings, even within 889 Harrison Avenue. Our food pantry started as rows of cans placed on just-cleaned dining room tables. Our first ESOL classes were on those same tables, and cleared out just in time for lunch. The Women’s Craft Cooperative arrived on carts to take its place in the beauty salon, and the nurses saw patients in our second floor elevator lobby. As long as we could find a bit of space, we determined a way to serve our guests.

In the past few years, Rosie’s Place has recognized that our obligation to serve poor and homeless women extends beyond the physical boundaries of our building. As a result, we have sought to provide assistance at other sites where they need our help. For example: • Our amazing stabilization workers visit newly-housed guests in their own homes, helping to make sure that a woman’s new housing stays hers for the long term.

This established Rosie’s Place program has been augmented by a new Community Health Worker Program, which links women with chronic health problems with an outreach worker dedicated to keeping them healthy and out of the hospital.

• Rosie’s Place sends staff to the city’s Woods Mullen shelter to offer friendly visiting and an overview of available services and resources offered at Rosie’s Place and at other organizations in Boston. We provide the shelter with a full-time housing search worker and a part-time job counselor.

• Our outreach van visits with women on the streets between 4 and 8 p.m. each weekday, in the Dudley Square, Columbia Road and Blue Hill Avenue areas.

• We visit the South Bay House of Correction twice monthly to provide information for soon-to-be-released women inmates.

• We provide friendly visiting to the residents of Parker West, a state-run facility for formerly homeless women with mental illness.

• We provided seed money and some of our Americorps attorney’s time to the new Court Service Center at the Brooke Courthouse, helping pro se litigants– many of whom are poor women–negotiate the family and housing courts.

• We put together 1,000 care packages for families placed in emergency shelter who are served at the Department of Housing and Community Development’s Dudley office.

Our combination of varied service offerings, excellent customer service and ability to work with hard-to-help women make us unique in Boston. Our newest strategic plan calls upon us to create teams of service workers who will link with guests via other organizations at public housing developments, health centers or food pantries.

Already our first team is in place, at the Franklin Field Public Housing Development in Dorchester, led by longtime Rosie’s Place staffer Catherine Louis. We’re in the process of choosing our second team site, and have had some wonderful conversations with Boston public school principals about the possibilities of collaboration.

So much of this outreach work has been realized because of you. Thanks to your help and support, we embrace our duty to protect and serve every woman we encounter. From 1974 to the present day, you’ve made it possible for us to reach out and console women alone, scared and sad. You’ve made a difference–thank you so much for caring.

Rosie’s Place Enhances Legal Aid for Guests At their root, many of our guests’ problems stem from a lack of justice. From illegal evictions, to unlawful denials of benefits, to failures to make the case for program eligibility–often we find that our guests’ situations are caused or exacerbated by something that could use a legal fix. For years, Rosie’s Place has partnered with various legal services agencies to try to address these needs and, last summer, we established our own Legal Services program to provide holistic legal services to guests in a warm, caring and compassionate manner.

Rosie’s Place’s Legal Services program both directly provides assistance through staff and volunteers and contracts with wellknown community agencies to do the same. We offer a spectrum of services to guests, from information to full representation. On a weekly basis, attorneys from Greater Boston Legal Services meet with guests to help with housing, family, employment and benefit matters, and may accompany guests in court; the Irish International Immigrant Center provides attorneys to assist with immigration issues; and Harvard Legal Aid Bureau conducts a workshop on “Representing Yourself in the Family Court” and answers individual questions. Additionally, New England Law offers a monthly CORI workshop, and our AmeriCorps attorney is available to meet with guests every week.

Bringing all of these services to Rosie’s Place allows our guests to get the legal advice they need along with enjoying a hot meal or taking an art class. “Rosie’s Place is a ‘one stop shop’ where our guests can have many needs met at the same place instead of running around town,” says Executive Director Sue Marsh. “Having Legal Services here is a huge benefit to women

And Rosie’s Place’s commitment to justice extends beyond our building. “Rosie’s Place not only helps guests have access to justice through direct services, but also through our efforts to advocate for justice in a larger context,” says Sue Marsh, who is Commissioner of the Supreme Judicial Court’s Access to Justice Commission. Rosie’s Place supported the opening of the state’s first Court Service Center at the Edward W. Brooke Courthouse in Boston by providing seed money and assigning one of our attorneys to volunteer on an ongoing basis. Staff spent a recent afternoon at the State House, asking legislators to increase funding for civil legal aid. Finally, as part of our 40th anniversary, we created the Walk for Justice, which identifies sites associated with Boston’s access to justice heritage.

Going forward, our Legal Services program will continue to evaluate its array of offerings and adapt to ensure that guests receive useful assistance, whether it takes the form of legal counsel, referral or advocacy.

QUOTABLE “It is absolutely amazing what your organization does, and it truly inspired our group to continue giving back to communities in need…Also, Rosie’s Place was a beautiful place with wonderful services to offer women in need of food, shelter, education and social services. We are so pleased that our donations went to an organization that has a great mission!”

Rutgers Students

Kerri Hanson and Jennifer Stefanik, co-site leaders of a group of students who volunteered at and donated to Rosie’s Place in January through Rutgers University Alternative Breaks

“This is what I know about the women of Rosie’s Place: They have a vision to not be homeless and to have food on their table; they have taken the step to reach out and ask for help so they can get what they need when the world has turned its back on them; they are grateful and show appreciation for Rosie’s Place; and they have surrounded themselves with ‘believers’–Rosie’s Place staff. These are the four lessons I have learned which lead to success, in both business and in daily life.”

Excerpted from remarks delivered by Joanne Chang, chef and owner, Flour Bakery and Myers+Chang, at Rosie’s Place’s annual meeting, March 12

Joanne Chang “I love organizing the annual Love Yourself Fest. Rosie’s Place guests don’t only need food and shelter—they should also be able to nurture their bodies and souls, and that’s what this is all about. It’s such a pleasure to see the expressions on the faces of the women AND the exhibitors. Rosie’s Place is such a special place, and I’m lucky to be part of it.”

Sue

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 for poor and homeless women to maintain their dignity, seek opportunity and find security in their lives.

We’d love to hear from you! Please contact us with your comments at 617.318.0210.

With Legal Services now incorporated into our programs, we can connect guests with other services Rosie’s Place provides, such as advocacy, food pantry, self-advocacy and meals, to make sure they get all the support they need. “Legal Services works in collaboration with every program at Rosie’s Place to provide holistic services to address several needs under one roof,” says Casey Shupe, Legal Services Program Manager.

As a Boston Globe subscriber, you’ve been mailed a GRANT voucher. Last year Rosie’s Place was the #5 most selected non-profit, entitling us to a ½ page ad, and we’d like this opportunity again. Simply fill in the recipient as Rosie’s Place on your voucher and mail it back. If you do not have your voucher, go to https://services. bostonglobe.com/grant/default.aspx. Thank you!

With faith,

Executive Director Sue Marsh Director of Development Leemarie Mosca Director of Communications | Editor Michele Chausse Communications Coordinator | Contributer Cara Rotschafer Intern Anna Gleason Design Colette O’Neill

who might not be able to get to other offices, have had bad experiences in the past or might not recognize their need as being a legal issue.”

Andrew Maggiore and co.

Andrew Maggiore, organizer of the annual “A Day to Love Yourself” event that provides a variety of wellness and beauty services to guests of Rosie’s Place, with Nancy Robinson, Martha O’Neil, Janet Lang and Jackie Maggiore

Mural Honors Women Champions of Social Justice In honor of our 40th anniversary, Rosie’s Place asked the Mayor’s Mural Crew to create a beautiful mural with four of our favorite local activists: Melnea Cass, Frieda Garcia, Judy Norsigian and Kip Tiernan.

The mural team of high school students and professional artists worked at Rosie’s Place over the summer of 2014 to paint eight brightly-colored panels depicting these champions of social justice.

Once assembled, the 12’ x 24’ mural was affixed to the exterior back wall of our auxiliary office space at 47 Thorndike Street facing Melnea Cass Boulevard.

The mural features Melnea Cass, a force for positive change in Roxbury in the 1930s and a founder of Freedom House; Frieda Garcia, a longtime community activist in the South End and Roxbury and a founding member of La Alianza Hispana, one of the city’s first organizations dedicated to poor Hispanic families.; Judy Norsigian, original member of the Boston Women’s Health Book Collective, which authored Our Bodies, Ourselves; and Kip Tiernan, social justice activist and Rosie’s Place founder. You can read more detailed bios at www.rosiesplace.org/mural#bios.

This exciting addition to Boston’s public art scene was unveiled at a dedication ceremony in December with the help of Boston Mayor Martin Walsh, Rosie’s Place Executive Director Sue Marsh, Mayor’s Mural Crew Director Heidi Schork and members of the mural team.

From left, Frieda Garcia, Judy Norsigian, Mural Crew Director Heidi Schork, Mayor Walsh, student Chris Duckworth, Leah Jaffee of the Mayor’s Mural Crew and Sue Marsh

Communityof

Friends

Rosie’s Place Public Policy Assistant Andy Morgan handed out presents at a party for families at our Franklin Field Collaborative site in December. Thanks to the generosity of individuals and community and corporate groups over the holiday season, we brightened the days of 636 women with a gift for themselves and/or their children. We distributed gifts and toiletry kits to guests visiting our Advocacy department, staying in the Overnight program, living at home via our Outreach program and stopping by our Outreach Van.

In December, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) (center) and Boston City Councilor At-Large (and former Rosie’s Place intern!) Michelle Wu (right) toured Rosie’s Place and visited guests including Kristine Flaherty (left). They also spoke with Executive Director Sue Marsh about affordable housing and health care, among other issues that impact Rosie’s Place guests.

Spring came early at Rosie’s Place, thanks to Winston Flowers and their Charity in Bloom program. Again this year, Rosie’s Place was fortunate to receive 20% of the proceeds from the sale of the special arrangement of roses featured above, exclusively sold in March. In photo, from left are Stacy Madison of Stacy’s Juicebar, NECN meteorologist Nelly Carreño and Rosie’s Place board member Deb Pasculano.

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now

During January break, a team of students from MIT developed a system that allows guests to schedule a time to shop in our Food Pantry from their home computer or mobile phone. (Guests without this technology can sign in at a new kiosk in Rosie’s Place lobby.)

The sign-in system, which is easy to use and available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Haitian Creole and Cape Verde Creole, will improve the guests’ shopping experience by alleviating waiting times and crowding. The students chose Rosie’s Place as part of MIT’s Code for Good class that brings students together with local nonprofits to work on impactful computer science projects.

Rosies Place guests celebrated our 40th anniversary by creating a wonderful piece of art for our Dining Room. A guest-led quilt project with 40 squares created by 40 women was dedicated and displayed in the Dining Room in December.

Also, African dolls, photography and fabric selfportraits by guests were on exhibit during December and January at the Dudley Branch of the Boston Public Library.

Rosie’s Place staff coordinated a full slate of events and activities during February, Black History Month. Guests attended workshops on writers such as Maya Angelou, bell hooks and Iyanla Vanzant; watched movies that illuminated the African-American experience; listened to a talk on taking risks by one of our Overnight staff, Rev. Laura Ahart; and enjoyed music and poetry. The month culminated in a celebratory dinner prepared by staff and their families, which featured raffles of toiletry gift bags, handbags and African scarves and a dance performance by young women from Boston’s Jo-Mé Youth Company.

As part of our efforts to reach out to more women in the community, Rosie’s Place has formed a new partnership with Orchard Gardens K-8 School in our South End neighborhood. A rotating group of staff members visits the school once a month to talk about the services we provide, distribute resource information, help with voter registration and meet with women one-on-one. Parents can also speak with our attorney about legal issues, see nurses about their health care and meet with HomeStart staff about housing. At the first visit to the school, Rosie’s Place staff, from left, Tenisha Daluz, Libby Gatti and Davida Ginsberg were welcomed by Orchard Gardens staff Inés Cátala and Nydia Mendez.

WISH LIST

Many of our guests are talented knitters and crocheters and are eager to start new projects. We are always on the lookout for materials the guests can take with them to work on at their own pace. Through our Arts Initiative, last year 2,100 guests took part in many diverse arts workshops—including crafting—that allow them to channel their creative energy into something beautiful they can share.

Craft supplies needed include: • • • •

Yarn Knitting and sewing needles Crochet hooks Gift cards to A.C. Moore, Michaels and Jo-Ann Fabrics and Crafts

With spring already here, it won’t be long before we set out on our annual beach trip! This is a favorite day for many guests and, with your help, we hope to collect enough essential beach items to make the day memorable and fun.

Beach gear needed includes: • • • • • • •

Bathing suits in all sizes Beach towels Sunscreen Sunglasses Lip balm Flip flops sizes 7-10 Beach umbrellas

New England Coffee Golf Tournament

DATE

A Versatile Necklace for Mother’s Day To celebrate Mother’s Day, we’ve designed a brand new limited-edition necklace. For a donation of $65 or more, this one-of-a-kind statement necklace is the perfect gift for your mother, wife, daughter or special someone. By honoring the important women in your life, you help make life a little better for the 12,000 women Rosie’s Place serves each year.

This stunning two-tier necklace is 18” in length with a 3” extension chain. Czech matte gold, faceted hematite and fire-polished crystal beads combine to create an elegant piece that is perfect for spring.

Matching earrings feature a choice of dangling gold or crystal beads and pair beautifully with the necklace. The earrings are $15 alone or as a set with the necklace for a special price of $75. A card informing the honoree of your thoughtful generosity will accompany the set, which will be beautifully packaged in a box and tied with a bow.

Spring Earrings Event An array of new earrings from the Women’s Craft Cooperative is blooming this spring.

Our artisans have created vibrant and unique new pieces, with a special emphasis on studs and iridescent crystals. All earrings are reasonably priced and are sure to liven up your wardrobe.

To view our Mother’s Day set or spring earrings, go to www.rosiesplace.org/shop or call the WCC at 617.318.0282. As always, your purchase will support our vital services for poor and homeless women.

All donations can be dropped off at Rosie’s Place between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. We appreciate your generosity, and thank you for your support!

SAVE THE

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Please support Rosie’s Place by donating

online at www.rosiesplace.org/give or by sending a gift in the enclosed envelope. We thank you!

Safe and Sound Gala

Monday, May 11, 2015 Andover Country Club, Andover

Tuesday, May 12, 2015 6:00pm Space 57 at the Revere Hotel Boston Common

New England Coffee invites you to be a part of their 23rd annual Charity Golf Classic! Enjoy lunch, dinner and a round of golf at the beautiful Andover Country Club while raising funds for Rosie’s Place.

Whether you choose to play, sponsor or attend, please contact New England Coffee at 781.873.1554 or visit the News & Events page at www.rosiesplace.org.

Please join us for a fun-filled evening of food, friends and philanthropy at our annual Safe and Sound Gala. The night will feature delicious cuisine from some of Boston’s best chefs, paired with fine wines and the chance to win premier insider-only auction packages. Sponsorship opportunities are available and tickets are $500. For any additional information, contact Katie Amoro at 617.318.0211 or kamoro@rosiesplace. org or visit www.rosiesplace.org/gala.

Funny Women…

Serious Business

Tuesday, October 27, 2015 Hynes Convention Center, Boston Join Rosie’s Place at our annual luncheon–the best in Boston! This year’s featured speaker will be author Piper Kerman, whose memoir chronicling her incarceration, Orange is the New Black: My Year in a Women’s Prison, became a #1 New York Times bestseller and an award-winning television program. For sponsorship or ticket information, please contact Katie Amoro at kamoro@ rosiesplace.org or call 617.318.0211.

www.rosiesplace.org 889 Harrison Avenue Boston, MA 02118

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