Mission: Sojourner provides emergency shelter for women and children; legal advocacy and support to empower those victimized by domestic violence; and information and education to raise community awareness and promote violence prevention.
Programs: Shelter: a 24-hour/7 crisis/help line for immediate safe housing assistance for women and children who are unsafe in their homes. The crisis/help line is located in sojourners shelter. This service is staffed by trained advocates and volunteers. 3,173 calls were answered in 2017 providing information, referrals and safety planning to the callers. Sojourner shelter is an emergency, confidential and secure housing facility for women and children unsafe in their homes due to violence and abuse. In 2017, the emergency shelter served 412 women and children. All services are directed towards supporting the choices of residents to live with greater safety and stability. Residents are provided all basic needs and receive advocate support, individualized safety planning, information about options and resources, and referrals for safe housing, medical care and employment. Age-appropriate services for children are also provided.
the community legal advocacy program provides advocacy assistance and support to victims who reside in sw hennepin county. Participants in this program do not request or require shelter. Advocates provide safety planning, information about court processes and victim rights and assist participants in the preparing of protection orders, therapy, and support groups. Sojourner advocates also work with victims of harassment, stalking and sexual assault. They provide advocate support in criminal, family, and various civil court matters and all services are free and confidential. Community based legal advocacy services provided support to 917 individuals victimized by domestic violence in 2017. Community program activities also include volunteer support activities. The activities of this department are intended to build community awareness and support the work of sojourners mission.
the outreach and education department coordinates the educational presentations in schools and community organizations and groups to increase understanding and safety awareness related to domestic abuse and dating. There were 8,443 audience members that attended presentations in 2017. This department also plans and coordinates trainings for law enforcement, prosecutors, guardians ad litem, probation officers, and other professional personnel. The volunteer department promotes active involvement of community members in various roles that support sojourners programs and services.
Do not donate to this shelter ever!! It's terrible!! Honestly, it should be closed down. They will feed you leftovers over three day to a week old. Lisa is definitely a pain in the ass; run as for as you can from the Sojourner slash not so true shelter. They only have one picture of her, and that's when you first walk in. A few staff is racist there. The will let the white residents do whatever they want and bug black residents about everything.
This organization runs their operation like tyrants. They are bullies! My daughters and I were thrown out of this shelter for abused women several days ago in mid-winter with total disregard for the unprofessionalism of their staff. If you are African American, you are treated like a convict instead of a person needing moral "support." What really gripes me is that they have the gall to use an African American historical figure as their claim to fame. Sojourner Truth would roll over in her grave if she knew just how badly African American women are treated by this shelter located in Hopkins Minnesota.
They cater to white women. I had a disagreement with one of their staff and Lisa, the "grievance" staff member, didn't so much as bother to follow procedure. She treated me like I was garbage and kicked me, my baby and my special needs child out of their shelter with only 24 hours notice knowing we had no other place to go. Two white women got into a verbal shouting match (with a string of profanities) and nothing happened to them. I on the other hand, told one of their staff members that I thought she was unprofessional for the manner in which she address me in a "support" group setting. and I was kicked out in a very forthwith manner.
Rather than consider the circumstance of the disagreement, my kids and I were thrown out like we were so much garbage under their feet. I requested the Executive Director contact me and give me time to find other accommodations. I never heard from her. Having no place to go, my request for additional time to find other accommodations was denied. Afraid that my abusive boyfriend might find us if went to my mom's house or to friends and family my boyfriend also knows, my daughters and I spent the week-end at a Minnesota truck stop and we slept in my car for two days since it's hard to find decent and appropriate shelters on a Friday afternoon.
Another woman who lived in the shelter informed me that in the last month, four African Americans were thrown out of the shelter for very minor infractions of the rules, aka sham charges. If you visit their website or Facebook you'd think they were saints when in actuality they are wolves in sheep's clothing! There are some really nurturing abusive women's shelters in the State of Minnesota. Unfortunately, Sojourner Project is NOT one of them!
