Thanks to additional emergency funding from the cities of Bellevue, Issaquah, Kirkland and Redmond, an emergency winter shelter for single women opened Jan. 20 in partnership with The Sophia Way and Catholic Community Services.

The shelter, located downtown at Bellevue First Congregational Church, provides a safe, warm place for single adult women to receive a meal and a place to sleep during the coldest months of the year.

“With the weather getting colder, we do not want women and families to be turned away,” says Angela Murray, executive director at The Sophia Way.

The shelter is scheduled to operate through the end of February to supplement The Sophia Way’s emergency winter shelter at St. Peter’s United Methodist Church in Bellevue, which supports women and families, including families with fathers and single fathers with children. Those experiencing homelessness can walk in, receive a hot meal and spend the night.

Doors open at 8:30 p.m., and people can take shelter until 7 a.m. the following day. In the morning women will have access to vital services at the Day Center, at 3032 Bellevue Way NE, in the basement of St. Luke’s Lutheran Church. The Day Center opens at 8 a.m., Monday to Friday, and now has extended winter hours until 3 p.m., to better serve and help women and families experiencing homelessness in our community.

St. Peter’s United Methodist Church will continue to serve families with50 beds. The men’s overnight emergency shelter, operated by Congregations for the Homeless, has room for 100. The new shelter at Bellevue First Congregational Church was added in response to overflowing conditions at the family shelter and offers another 50 beds. With a total of 200 beds, all emergency winter shelters are open seven nights a week.

For more information, email info@sophiaway.org.