About Transitions
Transitions is a Spokane nonprofit dedicated to ending poverty and homelessness for women and children through compassionate, trauma informed care, supportive programs, housing resources, and community partnerships.
More Than 30 Years of Compassionate Care in Spokane
Since 1986, Transitions has served women and children in Spokane with dignity, compassion, and thoughtful support. What began with the creation of Spokane’s first women-only day shelter has grown into a trusted nonprofit organization offering a broad network of services for those experiencing poverty, homelessness, trauma, and instability.
Today, Transitions provides whole person care through programs that meet immediate needs while helping women and families move toward long term safety, stability, and hope. Our work is rooted in the belief that every individual has worth, every story matters, and every person deserves the opportunity to build a stronger future.
Our Mission
Ending Poverty and Homelessness for Women and Children
Our mission is to end poverty and homelessness for women and children in Spokane. We do this by providing compassionate support, trauma informed case management, evidence based programming, and practical resources that help people move forward with dignity.
The Values That Guide Our Work
Our values shape how we serve, how we lead, and how we show up for women and children in Spokane.
DEI Statement
The focus of our work at Transitions reflects the reality that women, children, and non-binary people experience unique forms of oppression.
Transitions is committed to actualizing diversity, equity, and inclusion by:
using and assessing our mechanisms in addressing the root causes of systemic issues such as racism, gender oppression, and all other inequities; facilitating programs that are collaborative, respectful, and driven by participant’s needs; creating environments where people feel empowered, safe, and welcomed; and contribute to the growth of compassionate and supportive communities by living Transitions’ values.
We recognize that building and sustaining diversity, equity, and inclusion is an ongoing process. We are dedicated to engaging in honest conversations, seeking guidance from our staff, participants, and the community, and are committed to furthering our education as a non-profit and fellow community member.
Respect for Human Dignity
We believe in the dignity and inherent worth of individuals and respect their right to self-determination.
Community
We believe that the fullness of each person is realized in relationship with others.
Growth and Wholeness
We believe each individual is a work in progress on a journey toward integration of mind, body and spirit, with the hope of financial stability, emotional, physical and spiritual peace.
Justice
We believe in advocating for what is right, honest and moral both for whom we serve and with whom we serve.
Women Led Since the Beginning
Transitions has been women-led since the creation of its first program in 1986, when four communities of women religious came together with a shared vision rooted in compassion and resilience. Drawing from their own experiences of overcoming personal obstacles—including challenges related to substance abuse and the stigma that surrounds it—these women refused to accept the belief that a shelter for women was unnecessary or impossible. Despite skepticism and societal barriers, they remained determined to create a safe and dignified space for women in need, establishing Spokane’s first women-only day shelter.
Over the decades, that original commitment has grown into a broader network of care serving women, children, and families across our community. While our programs have expanded, the heart of Transitions remains the same: to meet each person with dignity, offer meaningful support, and create opportunities for healing, stability, and lasting change.
A Continuum of Support for Women and Children
Transitions provides a thoughtful range of programs designed to meet women and children where they are and help them move toward greater stability, safety, and opportunity.
Women’s Hearth
A welcoming daytime shelter offering safety, hospitality, practical support, and connection for women in need.
New Leaf Coffee Shops
A job training and social enterprise program helping women build confidence, workplace skills, and new opportunities.
Housing
Supportive housing services that help women and families move out of crisis and toward long term stability.
Partnerships
Collaborative community work that expands access to resources, referrals, and support across Spokane.
Intentional Care Rooted in Dignity
Transitions is proud to provide thoughtful, research backed services that support the whole person. Our approach is trauma informed, evidence based, and centered on the dignity and worth of every individual we serve.
We are intentional in how care is delivered, how relationships are built, and how each program responds to the complex needs of women and children. From daytime shelter services and housing support to job training and community partnerships, every part of our work is designed to create meaningful pathways toward stability.
Trauma Informed Support
We meet people with compassion, understanding, and respect for the experiences that have shaped their lives.
Evidence Based Practices
Our programs are guided by research backed methods that support meaningful, sustainable change.
Whole Person Care
We respond to immediate needs while supporting long term growth, healing, and stability.
Human Dignity First
Every person is treated with respect, worth, and the belief that a stronger future is possible.
A Trusted Nonprofit Serving Spokane
For more than four decades, Transitions has been a trusted part of Spokane’s service community. Our team works closely with donors, grant makers, volunteers, local organizations, and community partners to provide practical support and lasting hope for women and children.
We are proud of the professionalism, compassion, and care our team brings to this work every day.
Stand With Women and Children in Spokane
Whether you are seeking help, looking to give, or hoping to partner with us, Transitions welcomes you into a community built on compassion, dignity, and lasting change.