St. Vincent de Paul Bremerton has secured all $22.4 million needed to build the first phase of its Star of Hope Campaign, which will expand emergency shelter and add 38 deeply affordable homes for women and children in Kitsap County.
BREMERTON, Wash., Nov. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- St. Vincent de Paul Bremerton has secured all $22.4 million needed to build the first phase of its Star of Hope Campaign, which will expand emergency shelter and add 38 deeply affordable homes for women and children in Kitsap County.
A $3 million grant from the Medina Foundation, awarded in October 2026, closed the final funding gap. Construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2027 and is expected to take about 12 months.
"Generosity built this," said Joseph Crain, executive director of St. Vincent de Paul Bremerton. "State and County funders, foundations, businesses, faith communities and individual donors all believed that every woman and child in Kitsap County deserves a safe place to call home. We did it, together."
Kitsap County has only 12 affordable homes for every 100 very-low-income households that need one, according to Kitsap County Department of Human Services. Many families are left cycling between shelters, cars, and couches.
The first phase will be built on St. Vincent de Paul Bremerton's property at North Callow Avenue and 13th Street. It includes:
- 38 deeply affordable homes: 10 transitional and 28 permanent supportive housing units, including homes for women rebuilding their lives after incarceration.
- 17 additional emergency shelter beds at Birkenfeld-Stella Maris House, growing its capacity from 30 to 47 beds for women and children.
- A renovated Neighborhood Market & Resource Center, where families shop for groceries and connect with case managers.
- Wraparound support for residents, including housing navigation, job assistance, mental health, health care, and education.
"For the first time, a mother arriving at our door with her children will be able to walk a complete path from emergency shelter to a home of her own, all on one campus, surrounded by people who know her name," Crain said.
Funders include the State of Washington, Kitsap County, the Medina Foundation, the Ben B. Cheney Foundation, the Harnish Foundation and the Norcliffe Foundation, along with local businesses, parishes and individual donors. Critical support also comes from the Kitsap County Affordable Housing Consortium, which includes St. Vincent de Paul, the Bremerton Housing Authority, Kitsap Mental Health Services, Housing Kitsap, and Kitsap Community Resources.
The first phase also lays the groundwork for a second phase that could add more than 70 affordable homes, childcare assistance, an early learning center, and a community gathering space. Beacon Development and the Bremerton Housing Authority will lead that phase.
While construction is fully funded, operating the expanded shelter depends on ongoing community support. Each shelter bed costs $3,942 a year in donated funds. Donors can sponsor a bed or join the Vincentian Club monthly giving program at svdpbremerton.com.
St. Vincent de Paul Bremerton will share details about a groundbreaking ceremony in the coming months.
About St. Vincent de Paul Bremerton
St. Vincent de Paul Bremerton, the Conference of Our Lady Star of the Sea, has served Kitsap County since 1937. Through the Birkenfeld-Stella Maris House shelter for women and children, the Neighborhood Market & Resource Center and the Thrift Superstore, it provides food, shelter and emergency help at no cost and without discrimination. Its mission is to be a network of friends, inspired by Gospel values, building a more just world through personal relationships with and service to neighbors in need. Learn more at svdpbremerton.com.
Media Contact
Liz DeBord, St. Vincent de Paul Bremerton, 1 2066583229, [email protected], www.svdpbremerton.com
SOURCE St. Vincent de Paul Bremerton
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