(Image: Donna Jean’s Place)
By Moa Segerholt, UW News Lab
After being homeless three different times in Seattle, 60-year-old Benev Brandt says that Donna Jean’s Place is the best shelter she’s ever been in.
“Physically, I could find a safe place to sleep. And mentally, I could find a place to rest,” said Brandt.
Brandt says she has been homeless most her life and came to Seattle from California when she was 21. She has stayed at numerous shelters, but Donna Jean’s has provided her the most lasting healing, she says.
Donna Jean’s Place is a women’s emergency shelter that opened on northern Capitol Hill early this year as a collaboration between Operation Nightwatch and St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral.
Deacon Frank DiGirolamo, executive director of Operation Nightwatch, says he hoped that the shelter would help 100 women annually.
Since the opening at St. Mark’s last winter, the number has grown beyond expectations. DiGirolamo said that they’ve already helped more than 230 women at the shelter — named in honor of Donna Jean Palmberg, the widow of Operation Nightwatch’s founder — in the past year.
“This provides 7,000 nights of shelter per year, which sounds small – only 20 people per night, right? – But that’s 7,000 times that someone won’t be subject to being harassed or assaulted. So we think that’s a little seed of effort that can grow a lot,” Digirolamo said.
Donna Jean’s might also show that one of the most important resources a shelter can provide is time.
CHS reported a year ago in November of 2024 on the plans for the new shelter on the St. Mark’s campus and efforts to cobble together donations and funding to support the estimated $250,000 a year cost of operations.
Operation Nightwatch is leasing the space for $1 per year for a three-year lease with an opportunity to extend.
St. Mark’s is also preparing for a new chapter on its Capitol Hill campus with a development and adaptive reuse project envisioned to create more than 100 affordable homes in a transformation of the nearly 100-year-old, landmarks-protected St. Nicholas building.
While the redevelopment plan for the new affordable housing project will take years, the shelter adjacent the St. Nicholas building came together in months thanks to donations and work parties
According to the King County Regional Homelessness Authority, over 16,000 people experience homelessness in Seattle on a single night. Around 40% of the homeless population are women.
“The ladies we talk to will say things like ‘I have to walk all night to either stay warm or alive’ because significantly, there’s a lot of assault out there,” said DiGirolamo.
Operation Nightwatch and its volunteers serve 150 nightly meals at their dispatch center in the International District, according to DiGirolamo. From there, women are provided transportation to Donna Jean’s Place, where they can stay overnight. A bus ticket is provided by the shelter for travel throughout the next day.
Brandt discovered Donna Jean’s after a dinner with Nightwatch in March of 2025, she said.
“I came to a dinner and heard about the shelter, and they got me in that very night. And they let you stay for as long as you’d like,” said Brandt. “It was peaceful. It was relaxing. And it was a very homey environment.”
After staying at Donna Jean’s for three months, the team helped her qualify for senior living at Nightwatch.
“That’s where I’m at now, and things are looking a lot better than they ever have been. Before Nightwatch and Donna Jean’s, I was looking at permanent shelter life,” said Brandt.
Brandt says that what sets Donna Jean’s apart from other shelters she’s been in is the emphasis on teamwork, peace, and consistency. Everyone on the staff is familiar and consistent, adding to the stability of the shelter, she said.
“I liked the fact that other women would work with you. There was a staff member that found out I loved camouflage pants, and she had a pair she wanted to get rid of, so she just gave them to me. Like a family,” said Brandt.
Sharon Hamil, the street minister with Operation Nightwatch and chaplain at Donna Jean’s Place women’s shelter, says that the admiration is mutual.
“I think it’s been a very tender place for a lot of women who just need some peace in their lives,” Hamil said. “It’s very restful, for the body and mind. And I know in just talking to these women how safe they feel, and how seen and secure they feel, just knowing that they have allocation to this space.”
Unlike traditional shelters with strict time limits, women can stay at Donna Jean’s Place as long as they need, allowing them to address the complex issues that led to their homelessness at their own pace, DiGirolamo said. A case manager provides individualized support, connecting women with resources such as housing, employment, and mental health services. The shelter also offers laundry facilities, lockers for belongings, and a free monthly medical clinic.
“We’re small, but we have a lot of relationships. A lot of resources,” said DiGirolamo.
The shelter also doesn’t hang a lot of conditions on those who stay, avoiding mandatory sobriety programs or required application for housing programs.
Hamil said that because these women know that they have these resources to fall back on, their confidence and energy come back quickly.
“That’s a huge part of the work with Nightwatch. They create space to allow people room to breathe. It’s a really safe place for healing to take place. They gain their strength and confidence back when they can reclaim agency,” said Hamil.
Operation Nightwatch, with its 57-year history of street outreach, recognized the unique vulnerabilities faced by women experiencing homelessness. St. Mark’s, having previously hosted a women’s emergency shelter, was eager to once again provide a haven. DiGirolamo said the response on Capitol Hill has been largely positive.
“We find the Capitol Hill community to be really welcoming in general. We got absolutely no pushback. And then in particular, the St. Mark’s Cathedral community is that local representation of a broader community. We’ve just had so many folks from Capitol Hill respond in love,” said DiGirolamo
In addition to a safe place, the women have found a community in Capitol Hill.
Hamil says that Donna Jean’s recently initiated a prayer box, where residents can turn in confidential prayer requests that her and other staff members can intercede. Hamil says that the staff has been surprised at how selfless their prayer requests are, often requesting prayers for the city and people outside of the shelter.
“I think it’s a lesson to all of us housed individuals,” Hamil said. “These individuals are aware of the world and aware of the troubles of the world. They’re not mute, they’re not numb to it. They see it and they feel it probably more than most. So why wouldn’t they have something to say? Why wouldn’t they have something to ask? Or why wouldn’t they have something to contribute? They have their own stories and hopes and everything.”
Brandt still keeps in contact with some of the women she met during her time at the shelter, and says hello whenever she recognizes someone on the street. Now settled in her senior living apartment, Brandt is able to reflect on how far she’s come.
“But I do miss [Donna Jean’s] sometimes,” said Brandt. “They got me here, but I miss the community, which is funny to say. I miss being with those women and having that social aspect.”
“I want to help more people know about the shelter. It’s a good, safe place to stay,” said Brandt.
Learn more about volunteering with Operation Nightwatch here.
King County maintains a roster of emergency overnight shelters here.
CORRECTION: Due to an editing error by CHS, Rev. Steve Thomason was incorrectly identified in this story when originally published. He is the dean of St. Mark’s. We have also corrected a reference to St. Mark’s as a church. The reference has been corrected to St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral. We apologize for the errors.
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LOW BARRIER SHELTERS WORK. Housing first WORKS. When you have a stable place to rest your head every night without fearing arbitrary rules or being kicked out after a time limit, you can focus on getting better instead of just surviving.
Oh really… after 40 years? Or perhaps at 60 (amazing she survived so long on the streets) that this poor woman was just finally ready to accept that living like that just wasn’t viable anymore… Sorry, but no, as much as it is great for this individual, I don’t see this as a resounding endorsement for low barrier housing.
It works in situations like this where there’s OVERSIGHT. St. Mark’s clearly cares to do this the RIGHT WAY. “LIHI”, on the other hand, just wants to make a buck from the city/county to feed Sharon Lee’s $300K-plus/year salary, and that of her cronies. So they house anyone in any addiction situation and then fail to provide promised wrap around services, security, and building maintenance. Hence the disasters that have developed on C-Hill at 225 Harvard Ave. E, 420 Boylston Ave. E, and 600 E. Howell. All brand new buildings blighted by using, dealing, other public disturbance like fire alarms, and lack of building maintenance.
Housing First becomes Housing Only and then enables addiction to flourish. It must end.
> Brandt says she has been homeless most her life and came to Seattle from California when she was 21.
I’m not saying we need to send her back to California, but we can’t house the entire country’s long term homeless population. For these individuals who will never be able to take care of themselves, this should be handled by the feds. They can open up some facilities in cheaper locales to house these individuals. Plenty of towns where there is high unemployment and would be perfect for these types of facilities. Don’t rely on a couple of states to manage this for the entire country.
“… these individuals.”? A different species, perhaps?
As soon as I read that I knew what would come next. Nearly every sentence. Covert bigotry is still bigotry.
And OP isn’t being very covert, either
Don’t you think CH resident has a good point? This person came from another state and lived homeless here for 40 years. Should WA state have to pay for services for California’s homeless? And where is the incentive for homeless to become functioning members of society thru LIHI programs?
i realize you are trying to be constructive, but maybe read the room. you say, we don’t need to send her back to california, but you imply we should kick her out of seattle. you say it should be handled by the feds, but that’s such a non-starter right now it is absurd to even suggest. what your comment amounts to, in an article about a successful local community resource, is let’s wash our hands of these people and send them somewhere shitty. yes it’s systemic failure but people like the ones running this shelter are kind enough to stop passing the buck and do the hard work of just helping people.
I mean. She’s 60 now, so that means she’s been in Seattle since 1986. Is that not long enough to qualify as a Seattleite? That’s way longer than most transplants have been here
I am truly baffled how someone could move here in 1986 and remain homeless for 40 years.
When my peers and I were moving here in that era, jobs were plentiful and rents were cheap. Seattle was winning “most livable city” awards. It was so easy to get started here.
So how she failed to do so when so many of us did raises other questionsnn
I wonder whether the services she has been receiving all these years have actually been helping her to remain homeless. It certainly seems that way.
Since we never evaluate our numerous homeless services on whether they actually succeed at getting people homed and self maintaining, there’s no data to quote.
Just an endless demand for funding. More and more funding. For decades.
Bingo!
Seattle is the leader in homeless services… we can house another unhoused person. And with the new B&O tax and our mayor elect, these services are going to be more accessible for Americans throughout the region, heck the U.S. to access.
Your argument and the one your replying to are in effect largely the same.
Long-term there needs to be a Federal housing and homelessness response. The fascist oligarchs dont care how much blue pockets try to create localized social safety nets or mutual aid our way to community care. They are more than happy to have other ppl pick up the tab on the outcomes of federal policy disinvestment.
I don’t trust people who label people fascist. If you had said capitalist, I’d have read past the word, but I hard stop at wording that signifies a person is turned out like a first time jail house baddie, on social media politics. Btw great news
About Toyota huh?!
I hope you find empathy and compassion in your life. Californian… Seattlelite longer than I.. American… resident, citizen, person, neighbor, human. We have a responsibility to each other and the more we try to add lines, borders, jurisdictions between us, we’re not going anywhere. Of course I wish the fed government would care… they haven’t since Nixon. HUD is a shell about to be decimated. I would hope that places like these continue to exist if I ever go in the deep end and need a place to get my shit together. Health, peace and rest is truly a privilege. Happy you gave it. Let’s make sure more have it.
I hope you realize, in California it’s a common complaint that homeless people from all over, especially the west coast, end up in California. Not saying it’s true, or more true in one direction than the other— but the whole hint of “send them back” gets mentioned in Calif also. I think this is a losing proposition for anyone to suggest.
People here are disagreeing with you, but you’re clearly right. It’s extraordinary that people can look at cities like ours and think our approach is working, or will work if we just incinerate more money.
Because it’s California? She’s been a resident of Washington longer than California and California does a lot for their homeless population that are not all from California. You must not travel much as all states have this issue.
Kudos to St. Mark’s for stepping up and hosting this shelter. Too often, Christians act in a non-Christian manner, but it’s nice to see there are some exceptions.
Build free housing, it is not hard.
It’s not free, either.
Someone is paying. But yes, lots of space out by our new lightrail stations but we are still trying to build it in the most expensive place possible on cap hill..
It’s the least we can use taxes for. Keeping your fellow peoples sheltered is a very necessary societal function of taxes.
Also this sounds like you’re mad it’s in cap hill. It should be all over cap hill and other neighborhoods too. More the merrier.
very cool project to read about, and a really terrific piece of writing and reporting. kudos moa!
Would be nice if these articles also included funding sources and expenses. And compared these to other shelters. And lastly, data on success, such as job placement, sobriety, perminate housing….
If anyone is interested here is a link to the financial info for Nightwatch: it also links to the tax filings. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/910964027