Sabrina Donovan: Helping people overcome housing barriers
Published 1:30 am Wednesday, April 1, 2026
This is one of 12 finalists for The Herald Business Journal’s annual Emerging Leaders awards for 2026. The winner will be announced on April 7.
Sabrina Donovan, 36
Foundational Community Support Housing Case Manager, Sound Pathways
As a case manager, Sabrina Donovan said her guiding principle is trust.
At Sound Pathways, Donovan assists people in finding and maintaining housing stability.
“When it comes to housing, you look at the person as a whole,” Donovan said. “Because generally, it’s not just one thing that they’re dealing with. They have a lot of barriers, and it’s navigating what those barriers look like for that specific person, and really taking in what their goals and desires are.”
Since starting at the Everett-based nonprofit in 2023, she has assisted more than 60 families in finding stable housing, she wrote in her application.
In 2023, she helped start the Washington Recovery Alliance Snohomish County Coalition, which created the resource fair Spring Into Recovery. The event provides resources such as open beds, rides to detox and residential treatment.
”Whatever resources you can think of, there’s probably a booth there that can point someone in the right direction,” she said.
In 2024, she received the Washington Recovery Alliance Pillar of Progress Award.
Donovan plans on getting a bachelor’s in human services, and then move on to a master’s degree.
“Being a woman in long-term recovery, I have walked the depths of unfathomable darkness, not believing that I deserved anything better, but found a way out to life unimaginable,” she wrote. “I want to continue shining as a beacon of hope that others may find the beauty and freedom I have been blessed with.”
Donovan spent four years with the Washington State Association of Oxford Houses, a nonprofit providing self-run, self-supported recovery houses, where she held different house and chapter positions. The last year she lived there, she was the vice chair. She helped open a house in Lake Stevens, which provides 10 beds for women in recovery.
“Sabrina has shown tremendous heart and drive in serving the needs of the Snohomish County Community,” a nominator wrote. “She strives to work with folks of limited means to achieve something miraculous: a stable, self-directed life.”
Outside of work, you can find Donovan skateboarding with her son, reading or doing puzzles.
Jenna Millikan: 425-339-3035; jenna.millikan@heraldnet.com. X: @JennaMillikan
