At A Glance

Our Impact

With the help of people who believe change is possible and share our vision of justice, Rosie’s Place accomplished the following in FY16:

We served over 104,000 nutritionally-balanced breakfasts, lunches and dinners in our warm and cheery Dining Room.
Our food pantry enabled 2,000 women per month to take home 20 to 40 pounds of foods that their families prefer and enjoy.
Rosie’s Place’s Advocacy staff scheduled more than 1,400 appointments with guests each month. Advocates assist with housing, educational and employment opportunities, clothing, wellness care, transportation and emergency funds for eviction prevention and medications.
Approximately 250 women found sanctuary in our emergency housing, while advocates worked with them to find permanent homes and services they needed.
Our Outreach program worked to break the cycle of chronic homelessness by providing in-home support to 100 guests who were at risk of becoming homeless.

The Women’s Education Center provided 375 women each semester with an opportunity to improve skills and increase self-sufficiency through free English as a Second or Other Language, Computer and Literacy classes and one-on-one tutoring.
Our Health and Wellness Center saw 5,200 guests for blood pressure and blood sugar screenings; assessment of health problems such as colds and flu; chiropractic and alternative interventions; and immunizations.
Our Legal program provided more than 850 consultations with attorneys, who can help guests with housing, family, immigration, employment, debt and benefit matters.
Almost 3,000 women participated in a variety of workshops, classes and field trips through our Arts program.
Our Friendly Visitor program offered companionship, conversation and support to 21 women at local shelters and nursing homes who cannot come to Rosie’s Place.
At our satellite office at Franklin Field public housing development, over 3,000 residents participate in Rosie’s Place-led activities each year. We offer advocacy, outreach, legal and job assistance, support groups and food pantry to families in one of the city’s most underserved neighborhoods.
We connect with more than 1,20000 at-risk families with children attending four Boston schools through on-site outreach, housing assistance, food pantry and advocacy services.
Our Community Wellness Program works intensely with 20 guests who suffer serious or chronic health conditions, assisting with medical appointments, health insurance, prescriptions and support.
The Public Policy program works to further Rosie’s Place’s mission within the larger socio-political context by representing the interests of Rosie’s Place guests at the State House through direct lobbying, coalition building and by empowering guests and Rosie’s Place supporters to be actively involved in advocacy.
We provide capable, effective and compassionate advocacy and support to women who come to various Massachusetts courthouses. Since the program began in January 2017, we have helped 200 women in over 400 advocacy visits.

Our Staff and Volunteers

Our staff is comprised of 58 full-time and 14 part-time employees.
Volunteers provided more than 60,000 hours of service, the equivalent of 30 full-time employees.

Our Programs and Services

Emergency Services - We offer free meals 365 days a year; a food pantry with non-perishable items and fresh produce; showers, laundry and lockers; overnight beds for up to 21 days; and providers who offer health and wellness care.
Opportunity - Women can take English as a Second or Other Language, Literacy and computer classes in our education center and find assistance with job and housing searches.
Advocacy and Empowerment - Multi-lingual Advocates assist women with short- and long-term issues; attorneys provide holistic legal services; and guests are encouraged to participate in our diverse arts program and public policy activities, which can empower them to be their own best advocates.
Outreach - We stay connected to guests by providing ongoing follow-up to newly-housed guests and arranging home visits to isolated women. We reach women beyond our walls through a satellite office at Franklin Field and collaborations with Boston Public Schools and Massachusetts Trial Courts.

Who We Serve

Many of the women we assist are working but simply can’t make ends meet.
Some are newly homeless, while other women have been living on the streets for years.
We serve women as young as age 18 and as old as 80.
Approximately one-third of our guests are accompanied by children.
Our guests are from a wide variety of ethnic groups, with the majority being African American, Hispanic and Haitian.
Some of our guests are living with severe health problems or have hidden disabilities such as addiction or mental illness.