Thomas Merton: Then and Now

Merton’s writings on race in the context of homelessness in America

by

Rosanne Haggerty

Rosanne grew up in Hartford, CT. Service was modeled in her home; after church each week, Rosanne’s family served food at a single room occupancy hotel near the church. Financial aid made it possible for Rosanne to attend Amherst. While researching her senior thesis on Thomas Merton Rosanne began to think about ways to use her abilities to effect social change realizing that her education carried with it a sense of responsibility. She spent the next 7 years developing housing for the poor and homeless with Brooklyn Catholic Charities.

In 1991, Rosanne established Common Ground Community, a nonprofit that has become the preeminent supportive housing provider in the country and an innovative developer of strategic solutions for the problem of homelessness. The organization’s work is imitated throughout the world. Common Ground has transformed derelict buildings into supportive housing residences, where formerly homeless tenants are helped to rebuild their lives with links to employment, healthcare and the support of a community. In 2011, Rosanne established a new not for profit Community Solutions, to expand her work nationally.