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Sojourner Place 

Description

We provide housing and supportive services to homeless single women in transition. We serve women just coming out of the prison system, women affected by domestic violence, women who are unable to find employment. We also assist with family reunification. Our goal is that each woman become more self-sufficient, move into sustainable permanent housing, and become healthy active members of their community.

Mission Statement

Sojourner place exists to provide housing and support for homeless, economically or emotionally oppressed women in transition who are motivated to grow towards self-responsible independent living.

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Sojourner Place
5071 8th Ave NE 
Seattle 
WA
98105-3602 
(206) 545-4200 

Sr. K.C. Young, OP 
Director 

Programs

Sojourner Place Programs

We provide transitional housing and supportive services to homeless single women in transition. We have a weekly life skills class where women learn about handling their finances, establishing credit, banking, resumes, and job hunting. They also study more appropriate boundaries, how to grow in self esteem, healthy lifestyles, nutrition, etc.    

Each week each individual meets with our care manager to discuss the short- and long- tern goals she has established for herself. This builds in regular accountability and also provides helpful networking for each resident so she can have a broader support base when she completes our year long program. The care manager also provides appropriate referrals.    

Further we assist at least half of our residents in family unification for women with children in foster care or for pregnant women at risk of losing their newborns.  We collaborate with local and state agencies, legal and clinical services, to provide appropriate assessment, growth in parenting skills, and support ensuring that moms become healthy parents.

Recent Successes and Current Challenges

At 17 Marcia experienced a SIDS death of her 3-week-old son. Despondent she became a 10-year hardcore heroin addict.  At 27 she found herself pregnant and living on the streets. She began a methadone program to ensure a safe delivery of her baby.  She came to Sojourner Place 5 months pregnant, gave birth to a healthy son, and is learning focused parenting skills.  She has done an extensive assessment and is now re-united with her son.  She is actively participating in her recovery from drug addiction.  When she arrived at Sojourner Place she was unable and unwilling to talk and to participate.  She is now a proud active alum of our program and moved into therapeutic single parent family housing.  She is further studying and developing her glass design artistry.   

Our wait list is very long.  We could open 3 to 4 more Sojourner Places and help many others. We are currently looking into an additional  facility which would double the number of women we serve . We now have new windows and carpeting thanks to the Boeing Employees Community Fund.   Our facebook page is alive and well!

Evaluation


Sojourner Place provides transitional housing and supportive services to low-income, homeless single women in transition and/or recovering from crisis.

Collaboration
They have established a memorandum of understanding with Antioch University to provide clinical services at Antioch as well as having a counselor on site for 10 hours each week. Counseling is individualized to each client’s needs. They also have a licensed therapist who does volunteer counseling. In the fall of 2012 a graduate intern from Seattle University will provide counseling as well.

Sustainability
Sojourner Place is working towards creating a stronger and more stable organization. This past spring, the governing board for Sojourner Place embarked on a strategic planning process. The Board is scheduled to approve the plan at their December meeting.

They have a mix of funding sources: foundations, corporations, individuals, special events, and planned giving, to support Sojourner Place. In addition, they receive programming fees from their residents. This past year they received their first major gift from an individual.. Under the current economic climate their short-term challenges are to find funding to maintain their programs at the current level. Their long-term plans are to acquire another similar facility so that they can expand and operate with greater economies of scale.

Financial Health
A source of Sojourner’s income is program fee. Sojourner client’s program fee is 30% of their income.

They hired a donor-funded, part-time development person who has guided their special events. They have added over 70 new donors this past year, increased individual donor dollars by 63%, and have increased special event revenue by nearly 50%. They are exploring some shared grants with Jubilee Women’s Center. They increased their grants awarded by nearly 57%. They were able to liquidate some property; these proceeds will be set aside to help purchase a second site for their program.

Grant History with The Seattle Foundation:

Grants Awarded through The Seattle Foundation Grantmaking Program:

DateAmountPurpose
6/26/2008 $10,000.00support general operating expenses.
12/15/2005 $10,000.00support general operating expenses.
12/18/2003 $10,000.00support general operating expenses.

Financials

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