Mayor Michelle Wu has signed a proclamation making Sunday, April 14, 2024, "Rosie's Place Day" in the City of Boston in commemoration of the multi-service organization's 50th anniversary.
On Easter Sunday, April 14, 2024, social justice advocate Kip Tiernan, with four other volunteers and $250 donated by friends, opened the doors to Rosie's Place in the empty Rozen's Supermarket on Columbus Avenue in Boston's South End. It was the first women-only shelter in the nation. They chose the name Rosie's Place because it held no connotations and sounded like it could be a women's coffeehouse or favorite aunt's kitchen; "Rosie" is no one in particular, yet all the women Rosie's Place serves.
Five decades later, Rosie's Place is much more than a shelter. Providing meals and groceries, education and expert employment, housing, legal and mental health support, Rosie's Place turns compassion into action, hope into help for more than 12,000 women every year.
As the proclamation states, "The inaugural women-only shelter in the United States, Rosie's Place has woven itself into the fabric of Boston's community, providing a safe and nurturing environment to help poor and homeless women maintain their dignity, seek opportunity and find security in their lives."
"It is with gratitude and pride that we mark this milestone. I know the strength and generosity of this community that got us here will carry us through all that lies ahead on our path to justice for the women we serve. This year, we launched a five-year strategic plan that will enable us to address the critical needs of our community and grow our services by 25%. We are also broadening our behavioral health program to provide even more comprehensive help to our guests. So long as the inequities of poverty and homelessness continue, so too will our work," said Rosie's Place President/CEO Leemarie Mosca.
Rosie's Place relies solely on the generous support of individuals, foundations and corporations and does not accept any city, state or federal funding. To learn more, visit rosiesplace.org.