Founded by Kip Tiernan in 1974, Rosie’s Place is the first emergency shelter for women in the United States. With myriad programs offering help and hope to thousands of guests each year, we have become much more than a shelter. Our mission is to provide a safe and secure environment for poor and homeless women to maintain their dignity, seek opportunity and find security in their lives.   It’s not only what Rosie’s Place is that makes us extraordinary—it’s also what we’re not. We’re not an institution—but a sanctuary. Not an intake center—but a community center. And we’re not just a shelter. We’re bustling classrooms, an encouraging friend, a helpful resource, a welcoming Dining Room, a hot shower, a choice food pantry and so much more. When poor and homeless women come to Rosie’s Place—they’re not numbers or forms to fill out. They are familiar names and faces. They are our guests.  At Rosie’s Place, it’s not only what we do—but how we do it—that sets us apart. For more than forty years, Rosie’s Place has worked to recognize the overlooked and remedy the underserved women in our community. We strive to offer our guests support and opportunities that are thoughtful, respectful and ultimately, make a difference. Every day at Rosie’s Place we welcome hundreds of poor and homeless women and offer them unconditional love, sanctuary and opportunity.

Over the decades—through economic busts, budget cuts and funding shortfalls—Rosie’s Place has endured and evolved. We have always known that there is not one face of poverty, and of course, there is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Consequently, we are constantly self-evaluating and expanding to better meet the changing needs of our guests.  As the significant issues facing our guests have changed, so have we—consistently assessing and improving our programs and services. Our ability to stay abreast of these issues is through the development and implementation of our multi-year strategic plans. In order to not be setback, or surprised by a need of our guests, we at Rosie’s Place strive to be proactive and progressive by remaining true to our mission and growing our programs and capacities to best meet our guest needs. We believe that in this way, we can be most effective in helping poor and homeless women find not only sanctuary—but stability and opportunity as well.

As Rosie’s Place’s services have evolved and expanded, we continue to believe that Rosie’s Place’s physical space sets the stage to best serve our guests. Whether it is a relaxing chair to sit in while waiting for an advocate, a comfortable room to sleep in for the night or eating off real dishes in our dining room, each space at Rosie’s Place is set up to serve our guests in the most respectful and dignified way imaginable.  Rosie's Place's programs are successful because we are well-known in the community and located in an area of tremendous need. Our proximity to numerous subsidized housing projects, the neighborhoods of Roxbury and Dorchester, and Boston University Medical Center makes it accessible for our guests to take advantage of our many services.  Rosie’s Place’s ability to provide services in its own unique way relies on the fact that we only accept private donations. We do not receive any support from the city, state, or federal governments, nor from the United Way. Rosie’s Place will continue to endure and evolve because of our strong leadership, our committed and compassionate staff and our thousands of generous volunteers and supporters.

Because we recognize that program evaluation is critical to meeting the varied needs of our guests—all of the programs at Rosie’s Place are tracked quarterly and evaluated annually. The program goals and metrics are approved by the President and the Rosie’s Place Board of Directors. All program managers produce reports on their progress on a quarterly basis. The use of metrics allows program managers to report as specifically as possible on their progress. Each program manager also develops a logic model to describe the program’s long-term goals. The logic model provides an opportunity to assess the program within the larger context of the surrounding community, government policies, and needs of the people being served. A committee of the Board of Directors reviews each logic model and makes suggestions for improvements or changes accordingly.

Every day, 365 days-a-year, Rosie’s Place put the words of our mission into action, offering “a safe and secure environment for poor and homeless women to maintain their dignity, seek opportunity and find security in their lives. ” While we have accomplished much and helped many since 1974, we know our work will continue as long as there are poor and homeless women needing the unconditional help and hope Rosie’s Place can give them.