Our journey began in 2006 when, on a cold winter night, a woman walked into a church in Redmond and asked, “Where can I sleep tonight?” Two years later, on December 8, 2008, The Sophia Way opened its doors at Bellevue First Congregational Church with eight mats on the floor to serve women experiencing homelessness.
The Sophia Way is a place of hope and change for women. We support them on their journey from homelessness to safe and stable living. Women who come to the shelters find a warm, safe space to shower, rest, and sleep and are served nourishing food. Following the guiding principles of trauma-informed care, case managers partner with the women to support their physical, mental, and financial well-being.
Our two shelters – Sophia’s Place and Helen’s Place – provide shelter, safety, and stability to more than a hundred women every day.
Vision
All women have a place to call home.
Mission
The Sophia Way is a place of hope and change for women. We support them on their journey from homelessness to safe and stable living.
I want the world to know how important it is to have a safe place to sleep. Instead of sleeping in my car, I now have my own home.
Values
Welcoming – We create a warm, welcoming space where everyone feels a sense of belonging.
Dignity – We respect everyone, treating them with grace and honoring their lived experiences.
Supportive – We partner with women and ask how we can best support them on their journey.
Compassionate – We build and nurture relationships, being mindful and understanding that every woman has her own story to share.
Inclusive – We value and embrace diversity and experiences, giving everyone the space to be their full, authentic selves.
Equity Commitment
Speak up and take action to fight inequity, discrimination, and injustice
Listen to people with lived experiences
Understand and learn from their stories
Amplify their voices
Disrupt systemic racism that create inequities in our society
Support & Services
Shelter
Every day needs – a place to rest and sleep, nourishing food, and access to necessities such as a shower, laundry, clothing, toiletries.
Safety
Warm, safe environment. Caring and compassionate staff, and on-site health support that helps in healing and recovery.
Stability
Helping women move to transitional housing and permanent housing with supportive services.
Case Management
Case managers provide compassionate, individualized guidance to help women live a life of their choice. They support their overall well-being – physical, mental, and financial.
They empower women with skills and resources, and assist them in goal development and in creating action steps towards those goals.
Trauma-informed Care
Staff and case managers use the six guiding principles of trauma-informed care to help and support women.
The approach focuses on a woman’s lived experiences: “What may have happened to her?” instead of an assumption: “What is wrong with her?” It reduces further trauma and retraumatization, emphasizes healing and encourages women to develop stronger coping skills.
The Sophia Way Forward
The Sophia Way Forward, a 360-degree approach, focuses on creating partnerships to drive solutions to support those experiencing homelessness, and build capacity and resources leveraging the expertise of the community and staff.