Soroptimist International is a global volunteer organization that provides women and girls with access to the education and training necessary to achieve economic empowerment. Their mission is to ensure women and girls have the resources and opportunities to reach their full potential and live their dreams. So, it is no wonder why Soroptimist International of Seattle South, has been a longtime Partner and supporter of Hospitality House in our mission to help homeless women find home, health, and hope.
“The hardest part of my week is finding a safe place to be when the shelter is closed.”
Over the
years, Hospitality House has been essential to our Residents in helping them
regain a sense of place. It is impossible to consider one’s personhood apart
from place. A person’s sense of belonging, livelihood, and community are often
what cultivate the context of place. This place is where a person typically
calls home. For the 90 days that our Residents are in our program, their sense
of “Home” is found in the physical location of Hospitality House. The problem
that many of our Residents faced was that “Home” at Hospitality House was only
open all day Monday-Friday. Our Residents had to seek shelter elsewhere during
the daytime hours every weekend. Some of
these shelter options were not the safest environment. Our residents work diligently all week long
to achieve the requirements of their goal work… often times, they would say,
“The hardest part of my week is finding a safe place to be when the shelter is
closed.”
We have a budget to keep our shelter open 24 hours a day, Monday – Friday. While an open shelter 5 out of 7 days
is good, it still was not an ideal situation for our Residents as they were
still in need of shelter on the weekends.
This year, Soroptimist changed this dynamic by stepping up and meeting the needs
of our Residents head on. After hearing the worries, concerns, and hardships
that our Residents faced regarding the stress and anxiety of finding somewhere
to be on Out Days – Soroptimist took it upon themselves to make a difference. When
one of their generous donors gifted Soroptimist a substantial monetary gift to
be used toward the empowerment of women and girls – Soroptimist decided to
designate those funds to Hospitality House. Soroptimist saw the need of our Residents
and responded in a very tangible way. With this amazing gift, Hospitality House
was able to hire a weekend staff to keep our doors open on the Saturdays and
Sundays during harshest months of the year. Soroptimist provided Hospitality
House with this covering, and we in turn were able to cover our Residents
entirely during these months. The difference was undeniable. Our Resident
recipients were rested, refreshed and ready to work each week.
A few weeks ago, we received a note from the Soroptimist International of
Seattle South Vice President, Sharon Mann saying, “We feel Hospitality House
gives women the security to feel safe and empowered to excel. Without the
safety of shelter, life comes to a standstill because it takes all of one’s
energy to find safety. In addition, Hospitality House provides resources
to women helping them find a path to their future. This all aligns with the
mission and vision of Soroptimist. Many of us have either faced or have come
close to facing the same situations these women are experiencing. We understand
the sheer terror of feeling helpless and hopeless. We as a community need to
uplift one another and that is what the partnership between Hospitality House
and Soroptimist does.” These words came on the heels of the exciting news.
Soroptimist will be partnering with us this year, by committing to meet the
needs of our Residents once again.
Sometimes, we all just need someone to save the day. Soroptimist saved our weekends!