‘Allow Yourself to Feel It, But Don’t Stay in It’ A Former St. Ambrose Resident’s Journey to Stability

If anyone knows the adversity of being unhoused, it is former Catholic Charities St. Ambrose Family Shelter resident Demarria. 

Which is why, now with stable housing and a job working with Boston’s youth, she has let the St. Ambrose team know she is forgoing the remainder of her state emergency assistance support so it can go to someone else in need of housing support. Demarria qualified for HomeBASE, which helps families eligible for Emergency Assistance (EA) Family Shelter find stable housing by providing funds over two years. 

“I’m in a good space now to pay my rent and bills on my own,” explained Demarria. “I definitely appreciate having had HomeBase and certainly had to rely on it. But now, I’d rather it go to someone else and allow them to get back on their feet.” 

Demarria and her son, who was 1 year old at the time, came to St. Ambrose in February 2025. She lost her home and was escaping a domestic violence situation. They spent about six or seven months at the family shelter in Dorchester. 

“The first months were a little discouraging for me because I was coming from working as a teacher and having a place to live to losing my job and my house and having to start from square one,” Demarria explained. “I had never been in that type of situation before. It was a little uncomfortable for me.” 

She credits her case manager, Rose Casimir, with being an incredible source of comfort and support as she worked to find stable housing. Casimir regularly checked in, offering different resources, showing Demarria she didn’t have to go through this alone, and reminding her that the situation was temporary. 

“You can tell when someone is doing something because they are required and when they are doing something because they care…Ms. Rose does this because she cares,” said Demarria. “This is someone who is showing us different things we can do during our time at the shelter so that when we leave, we can have new skills or certifications. It all became easier.” 

When Demarria did leave St. Ambrose, her connection with Catholic Charities did not end. The situation at her new apartment became difficult, and she reached out to Casimir again for assistance in finding a better option, demonstrating the agency’s commitment to ensuring stable housing for clients, even after leaving the shelter. 

Today, Demarria has stable housing and a job she loves. One of her most recent communications with Casimir was to request early termination of her HomeBASE support. 

“That woman was scared for her life,” Demarria said, thinking back about herself in February 2025. “She had a 1-year-old son, nowhere to go, and was in a place with a bunch of people she didn’t know. At that moment, she couldn’t see past what was in front of her. But today, I would tell that woman to allow yourself to feel it, but don’t stay in it.”