WINTER 2013 A Home for the Holidays: A Family Reunited Q & A with Erin Miller, Advocacy Manager Our Executive Director on Defying Expectations Become a Friend for All Seasons in 2014
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A Home for the Holidays: A Family Reunited
Q&A
ERIN MILLER
ADVOCACY MANAGER
In what ways does the cold weather affect our guests? For homeless women, this can be a really scary time. It is just not safe to spend extended time outside when the temperatures drop. Finding shelter every night can be a full time job, and beds become even more scarce. It’s too cold to walk but many women can’t afford public transportation to get to appointments, go to work or run necessary errands. Women who are housed face larger utility bills and often have to make hard choices such as cutting their food budget to stay warm. For women who have mental health issues, the lack of sunlight in winter increases depression and then isolation. The winter holidays bring extra pressure to provide gifts and big meals for family, which makes the reality of having little money tougher to bear. And if you are not connected to family, holidays can be a very lonely time. What does Rosie’s Place do differently in the winter months? Our Advocates give out coats, sweaters, hats, scarves, gloves and mittens. We keep our Outreach Van running year-round, handing out blankets, warm clothing, soup and coffee along with our usual items. The stays for our Overnight guests are extended beyond the usual 21 days and festive activities are planned to create a sense of community and positive holiday experiences. In the event of severe weather, we welcome a limited number of women to stay overnight in our Sitting Room. We continue to stay open and serve meals every day, no matter the weather. Advocates also direct women to other agencies and resources for items like free turkeys. How can others—our partner organizations, donors, volunteers—help at this time? People can donate items on our Wish List (page 4) or engage in some of the Ways to Give outlined on page 3. When our women receive gifts, they feel appreciated and less alone. We are grateful for the outpouring of support now and we also ask that people keep us in mind after the holidays, when winter really sets in. Taking the time to smile and say “hello” to our guests is so important, remembering that this can be a tough time for lots of people.
July 18, 2011. That date is forever etched in Saundra Greene’s memory: it was the day she and her teenage son– homeless and unable to find a place that would take them both–had to split up. It also marks the first time Saundra came to Rosie’s Place. She got a bed in our Overnight Program on that very first morning and almost immediately, she started the long process that would lead her, this holiday season, to a new home and reunion with her son. Over the years Saundra had survived domestic violence, unemployment, even the death of her elder son, and she tried to summon that strength in the face of losing her home. She and her youngest, Jourdan, 16, had been living in a government-assisted apartment in Taunton and when they had to leave the area for a few months, the electric bill was not paid on time. That was enough to terminate their housing. They both moved in with Saundra’s sister in Boston but space and resources were tight and they weren’t able to stay there long. After a few months, Jourdan went to live at his father’s house and Saundra found her way to Rosie’s Place.
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This Christmas will be the most important one we’ve ever had because we are so thankful for the opportunity for another chance, a new beginning… Since we’ve been in our new home, every day feels like Christmas. Saundra
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Erin Miller, who joined Rosie’s Place two years ago, oversees a multi-lingual department of Advocates and several partners from external agencies who provide services on site. Each month we assist more than 500 women with housing, health care, educational and employment opportunities, legal advice, referrals and more. The winter months present unique challenges for the women we serve.
“From the minute I walked into the lobby and saw the light from the skylight, I knew I was going to be ok,” Saundra says. “Rosie’s Place gave me a whole different perspective on being homeless.”
For the next two years Saundra moved among Rosie’s Place and other shelters in the city, but always returned here to meet with Advocates, have a meal, and join in classes in the arts@rosiesplace program. She sent out multiple housing applications every week and was dogged in following up on
every lead. “I believed I would be housed again, as long as I put the work in,” Saundra says. “No one else was going to do it for you.” She says the hardest part was being separated from her son. “I especially missed being able to give him a hug every night at bedtime,” she remembers. Her prospects for a two-bedroom apartment brightened this spring thanks to the housing search specialist Rosie’s Place employs from HomeStart. Saundra applied for and received a voucher that she could use to pay her monthly rent once she had located a suitable apartment. Because Saundra is so connected to Rosie’s Place–she still visits almost daily for meals and activities–she searched in the surrounding neighborhood and found a place within walking distance. Saundra had been able to store very few possessions when she became homeless, so Rosie’s Place and HomeStart were instrumental in helping her locate and then transport furniture to her new apartment. She and her son Jourdan would be together again.
Reunited After only a short time, Saundra’s tidy, sunny home looks lived in, brightened by animal print rugs and the presence of two pets–a parrot and a cat. Jourdan is now 18 years old and a senior at ABCD University High School, a small, alternative school that is the perfect fit for him. The period of displacement and separation from his mom was difficult, as he quickly moved from his dad’s house to a number of other arrangements until he settled with a family friend in Boston. Changing schools so often disrupted his progress and he got to the point where he “didn’t want to try anymore.” But the stability Jourdan found now that he is back with his mother and in the new school has helped turn things around. He is performing at his grade level and on track to graduate in the spring, with plans to enlist in the Air Force. This experience has taught Jourdan patience and self-control. “I took my life day by day, one step at a time because I had learned that things could change in an instant,” Jourdan says. “This Christmas will be the most important one we’ve ever had,” Saundra says, “because we are so thankful for the opportunity for another chance, a new beginning. Last year my son opened his gifts as we sat in a restaurant. This year we’ll cook our favorite dishes together in our own kitchen.” She adds, “Since we’ve been in our new home, every day feels like Christmas.”