Q&A with Joyce Smith, Overnight Shelter Program Manager for Rosie's Place

Joyce Smith has been with Rosie’s Place for a decade. She first was a Front Desk Advocate before moving to positions in our Food Pantry and Overnight Shelter programs. Since 2021, Joyce has overseen our 20-bed Overnight Shelter Program, ensuring sanctuary and support for every guest who stays with us.

What makes the Rosie’s Place Overnight Shelter unique?

Our shelter doesn’t look like most shelters. It looks like an apartment or a dormitory. We have two floors of bedrooms, a well-equipped kitchen, dining area, laundry room and community space for our guests. More than anything, what sets our program apart is that our guests stay with us for three weeks. When a woman doesn’t have to worry about where she is sleeping every night, how she is going to eat and just survive each day, she has a chance to exhale, connect to our services and plan her next steps.

Who stays in our Overnight Shelter?

Our guests are young and old. They are women who due to one tragic setback, find themselves homeless for the first time. And they are women who due to trauma, mental illness or substance use disorder, may be chronically homeless. Women come to us from across town, out of state and sometimes even other countries.

When a guest arrives, how is she welcomed?

The first thing we tell every woman who stays with us is, “Please consider this your home for the next three weeks. We’re glad you’re here and we are here to help you.” Our team strives to give our guests all the support and comfort that we can in both little and big ways. This means providing pajamas and toiletries; or it could be getting a favorite hot sauce for a guest who misses her family’s cooking; buying a new walker for a guest who lost hers in the chaos of being homeless; or adjusting our schedules to accommodate a guest who works the night shift.

Beyond shelter and respite, what other help does Rosie’s Place provide to guests staying with us?

While we never ask a guest what brought her to us, we always ask her what she wants to work on while she’s with us. If a guest wants to work on getting housing or a job, we’ll connect her with our Housing Search or Employment Specialists. If she wants to work on her sobriety or mental health, we can connect her with our Recovery Support Navigator, our Clinical Social Worker, support groups or medical staff in our Wellness Center. Rosie’s Place has so many programs and services that we can always help.

we can always help.