PROVIDENCE – Sojourner House Inc. bought a multi-unit building on Westminster Street in the city’s West End for $975,000 to expand its housing portfolio for its clients who have experienced domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking, the nonprofit announced June 30.
The building will also provide new office space for the organization’s growing housing team. Sojourner House offers emergency shelter, rapid re-housing, transitional housing and permanent supportive housing for clients in need. The organization has prioritized acquiring its own housing stock to serve clients, as well as renting housing space from private landlords, according to a news release.
“Several years ago, we identified housing as a growing area of concern for victims of abuse,” Executive Director Vanessa Volz said in a statement. “We’ve been working to prioritize purchasing and rehabbing housing units so that victims and their families have safe, affordable places to stay, for as long as they may need, to heal from their trauma and move forward with their lives.”
Citizens Bank financed the purchase of the building, which was sold to Sojourner House by Armory Properties. The organization will launch a capital campaign this fall to help defray the costs of the purchase and necessary upgrades, according to the release.
“We’ve seen an increase in requests for help across the board for our services. These requests are not just for housing, as 2021 saw us serve more victims than ever before across all of our programs,” Volz said. “When families come to Sojourner House seeking help, we want to be able to ensure their basic needs are met. Housing is a core tenet of that.”
Tim Norton is a PBN contributing writer.
