Rosie's Place Winter Newsletter 2016 by Rosie's Place

WINTER 2016 A Mother and Daughter Find Hope at Rosie’s Place Brightening the Season for the Women We Serve Ways to Get Involved This December Recognizing Our Community of Friends

NEWS

Our Winter Wish List Consider Scheduled Giving in 2017

Q&A

ISABELLE CETOUTE

ADVOCACY MANAGER, ROSIE’S PLACE After a decade in different roles at Rosie’s Place, Isabelle Cetoute was named Advocacy Manager in July. In her new position, she oversees the direct services provided to guests by a nine-member multi-lingual Advocacy team and Overnight Program staff. Isabelle is looking toward a holiday season where we could see more guests than ever at Rosie’s Place. Why is it important to make the holidays special for guests? Many of the women we see at Rosie’s Place this time of year are not connected with their families, or they’re new to Boston. We don’t want the holidays to go by for them without some kind of celebration. In many cases, these women come to think of us as their family, so through activities and gifts, we try to show them how important they are to our community. Our message is “We’re here for you.” What are some of the ways we work to brighten these days? Thanks to the many donations from our friends in the community, we’re able to give each guest a bath and body gift set and a gift card. Last year we gave gifts to 500 women and we anticipate adding 200 more this season. Guests served by our outreach and overnight programs also receive gifts, as do the women with children we see through our outreach van, at the Boston schools we serve and at our satellite office at Franklin Field, who all get toys for their families., We organize holiday parties, help connect mothers and grandmothers with community toy programs, and compile lists of other holiday assistance resources available to our guests. What is the mood at Rosie’s Place? All staff look forward to the holidays every year. We try to make everything festive, including the dinner we serve on Christmas. Last year, I was helping a guest with a utility payment and then offered her the bath gift set and gift card. She was surprised and became emotional. “It’s a beautiful thing,” she said. If we can lift guests’ spirits, it lifts us too!

Olivia and Alicia

Rosie’s Place Keeps Mother and Daughter Close at Holidays It was more than 20 years ago that Olivia Thomas, a proud woman raising a large family on her own, first came to Rosie’s Place. She’d heard from a friend that she and her children could find a healthy meal and receive some groceries to help stretch her meager budget. Rosie’s Place quickly became a place of security for Olivia, and she knew she could count on our help when she needed it. So it was no surprise that years later when her adult daughter Alicia found herself overwhelmed, she remembered her childhood visits here and she, too, sought assistance from Rosie’s Place. In October of 2014, Alicia found herself in position she never expected. Her mother, Olivia, suffered multiple strokes that left her in a coma at only 57 years old. Alicia was appointed her mother’s guardian and took on the responsibility of fighting for her mother’s recovery, which doctors said was unlikely. Olivia and Alicia had an especially strong bond that developed when Alicia was a baby. “I was sick when I was born and Mom said that all the extra attention and worry really connected us,” Alicia says. “My mother and I did everything together— shopping, cooking, going to the hairdresser. She was at my house all the time.” Alicia took over paying the rent on her mother’s apartment while she was in the hospital so she would have a home to return to. This was no easy feat, as Alicia worked full-time as a case manager for the Department of Transitional Assistance and struggled to pay her own rent while raising two young children with little or no child support. She sought help from Rosie’s Place when the financial burden became too much to bear. At Rosie’s Place Alicia was assigned a stabilization worker who visited her at home to ensure that she would not jeopardize her own apartment while trying to hold onto her mother’s. After many months, Olivia came out of the coma but was still unable to speak or walk and was beset with a host of other health problems, including failing kidneys. In spite of such discouraging news, Alicia never lost faith that

her mother would leave the rehabilitation facility and resume her life. Realizing that Alicia wouldn’t be able to continue paying two rents, Rosie’s Place helped her to combine their two housing vouchers, allowing for them to have one larger, shared apartment that the whole family could live in. Rosie’s Place also covered the cost of a service to clean her mother’s apartment and move her most treasured belongings to Alicia’s house. Alicia was relieved to know that when her mother was able to return home, there’d be a place for her with her family. “Alicia is one of the most determined women I have ever worked with,” says Michelle Bell, her housing stabilization worker. “She has taken on so much, practically on her own, and we’re doing what we can to back her up every step of the way.” According to Alicia, she looks to Rosie’s Place as a support system–a place where she can walk in with her children for meals and a visit to the food pantry, where she can get help with rent and electric bill payments if she falls behind, where she can get connected to other services she and her mother need. “They recently helped me look into immigration issues for my mom’s Social Security eligibility,” she says. Remarkably, Olivia has made strides that far exceed expectations: she has regained her ability to speak and has a very clear memory. Best yet, she is at a new rehab hospital that is working with her to build up her strength so she can manage at home. “Her dream is to walk into church with me, and I believe it can happen,” Alicia says. As the holidays approach, Rosie’s Place is helping Alicia become ready to move into a new four-bedroom apartment and, after two long years, to have her mom back with her family again. It will be the best gift she’s ever had. “Even when she couldn’t respond, my mom knew I was there all along. She never gave up on me years ago. And I’m never, ever going to give up on her.”