We recently received the gift of space from St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Bellevue. Once renovated, this space will result in a stationary shelter helping over twice as many women as we currently can. The new space will feature a large dining/meeting room and separate sleeping quarters providing 20 women with individual space to store their personal items.

The “ownership” of space is therapeutically a first step for our clients to reclaim their lives and begin anew. With this growth opportunity, we will have the possibility to respond to the ever-growing need of homeless women on the eastside of King County.

Some of the key benefits of the new shelter include:

• Bed capacity increases from our current 10 beds to 20, which means the sheltering capacity increases from 30 to 60 women per year.
• Raised beds, instead of palettes on the floor, provide a therapeutic benefit to women with advancing age, injury or disability.
• Cubicle bedrooms provide a personal space with storage to begin the journey to self-confidence and independence.
• Dedicated classroom space enhances training and coaching experiences.
• There will be a home feel to the classrooms and the community center to make them friendlier and more accessible.
  
• On-site offices for staff will improve effectiveness of supervision and counseling.
• Kitchen and dining areas will improve the home feel and the community-building quality of the shelter.

In addition, the YWCA will continue to co-locate the Angeline's Eastside Women's Center on weekdays from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm with Sophia’s Place in the new St. Luke’s location, as we work to partner together to bring a host of programming to our clients and maximize our financial gifts. The Sophia Way, in partnership with the YWCA, hopes to increase the shelter supervisor budget to expand shelter hours to around the clock, seven days a week.

With this expanded, new facility, The Sophia Way will improve service and take another important step toward the mission to eliminate homelessness for women on the east side of King County.

We greatly appreciate the design work by Clover Schuler from Burgess Design and Paul Burckhard. We thank the many donors who have already contributed to this project!

Since opening its doors in December, 2008, The Sophia Way has been unable to fully satisfy the demand for shelter among single, homeless women in East King County. Four out of five women who seek shelter must wait for a spot to open in the current shelter. Fortunately, these waiting women are able to receive some of the support services which The Sophia Way can provide.

In 2010, we began the search for a partner to host a new, expanded shelter for The Sophia Way. We were referred to St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, less than two miles north on Bellevue Way, just south of Highway 520.

St. Luke’s is known for sheltering homeless people through Congregations for Homeless (a shelter for men) for many years, as well as Tent City 4 (2005) and The Sophia Way on weekends. The unfinished daylight basement of the sanctuary at St. Luke’s provides a very suitable 4,256 square foot location for the new, expanded shelter.

In January, 2011, St. Luke’s agreed to host Sophia’s Place on a permanent basis. The Sophia Way began seeking additional partners for funding, design, construction and furnishing the new shelter.