(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 Church.
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 founder Rev. Steve Thomason — 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.
The Journalism and Public Interest Communication News Lab at the University of Washington gives advanced journalism students an opportunity to build a dynamic clip portfolio by reporting for any of 70 client news outlets in the greater Seattle area. CHS is proud to work with young journalists and feature their work.
Subscribe to CHS to help us hire writers and photographers to cover the neighborhood. CHS is a pay what you can community news site with no required sign-in or paywall. To stay that way, we need you. Become a subscriber to help us cover the neighborhood for $5 a month — or choose your level of support 
