Mission Statement

Sojourner Project’s mission is to provide shelter, advocacy and support to empower battered women and their children.  We are committed to the prevention and elimination of domestic violence through proactive intervention and community-based services and education.

Philosophy Statement

Sojourner Project, Inc. is a community-based organization of women and men committed to eliminating domestic violence against women and children since 1979.

We:
   • Empower women and children to triumph over domestic violence that       results from the misuse of power and control;
   • Serve as an agent of societal change to eliminate discrimination       against and repression of women and children; while promoting the       vision of a non-violent society based on respect for human dignity       regardless of gender, race, religion, differing abilities, age and sexual       orientation.

Namesake

Our name, Sojourner Project, Inc., is taken in honor of Sojourner Truth, a courageous and selfless woman, whose tireless work for justice meant seeking and speaking the truth. Sojourner Project proudly embraces her journey by dispelling the destructive myths and falsehoods that perpetuate domestic violence in our community.

(more on Sojourner Truth)

Founders and Organization History

Sojourner Project, Inc. began in 1977 when two Hopkins residents, Kitty Alcott and Jenny Arimond, documented domestic abuse in their community, west Hennepin County. As they spoke out, Kitty and Jenny gave a human face to the issue of family violence in our own community; subsequently, others joined their quest. For the next two years, Jenny, Kitty, and their supporters lobbied for support and educated the public about the need for a domestic violence program in the area. In 1978, with the support of agencies such as St. Joseph’s, Hennepin County, Hopkins Interchurch Council, West Hennepin Human Services Council, and the Hopkins City Council, one of the first battered women’s shelters in Minnesota opened in a former single-family home in downtown Hopkins.

Then known as the Hopkins Project, the organization initially kept its focus on providing a 24 hour emergency phone line, legal advocacy and support groups for the shelter’s residents. The organization expanded its reach beyond the shelter wall in 1982, when it began partnering with the Hopkins Police Department to provide support, information and referrals to victims immediately following a domestic assault. Soon, hundreds of additional women and children began connecting with the organization, requesting information, support, counseling and advocacy in the legal system, and our community-based services were firmly established.

Today Sojourner Project, Inc. maintains working relationships with many police departments serving the west Hennepin Community, and our programs serve more than 1,000 battered women and children each year though our shelter and community-based services.

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