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My name is Sandy and life for me has felt like a series of earthquakes. Every time I feel like...
READ MOREShelter KC Women's Center
As clients enter our Women’s Center, they experience what it feels like to be treated with dignity for perhaps the first time, as well as the encouragement to embrace a crown of beauty and the full, vibrant life God intended for them.
Opened in 2013, our Women’s Center is a 20-bed residential recovery facility for single, homeless women located near downtown Kansas City. But for our clients, it’s simply “home.”
With the help of dedicated mentors, case managers and life coaches, the Women’s Center makes growth, healing and recovery a top priority. Together, by the grace and power of God, we can accomplish more than any of us could do alone.
As a Christ-centered community for women seeking specialized care, we’re here to see women come out of poverty into potential, interdependence and self-reliance through transformative faith, healing and wholeness.
Why the Women’s Center Began
In 2009 and 2010, Shelter KC, then called Kansas City Rescue Mission (KCRM), conducted three separate surveys involving 27 local social service agencies to confirm our belief that there was a critical gap in services for single, homeless women in Kansas City.
Not only did our studies confirm the need, they revealed the majority of single, homeless women suffered with co-occurring disorders, such as addiction and mental illness.
Each year, the Hotline for the Homeless records thousands of calls from single, homeless women; yet only around 75 beds were available in Kansas City. In response, we opened the Women’s Center on July 15, 2013. It is a 20-bed facility specifically designed and staffed to minister to single, homeless women so they can be in a safe, homelike environment and find hope, peace and security as they work to overcome life-challenging barriers to stability and success.
Today, the Women’s Center is leading women through the Sisters of Recovery program and watching transformation occur each day.
The Sisters of Recovery Program
How do we help homeless women in Kansas City?
Transformation
In a supportive learning environment, women are encouraged and empowered by the tools they learn in Life Skills classes, Intro to Discipleship 101, Relapse Prevention (Using Michael Dye's "The F.A.S.T.E.R. Scale," the women learn to train themselves to notice their patterns of biological, psycholgical, and social changes that lead to relapse). This portion of the program includes groups and classes, one on one interaction and opportunities for leadership development.
Life Coaching and Work Therapy
Our 20-bed home is a clean environment where residents, staff and guests feel welcome, respected and safe. Our home is a place where each person can grow in love of self, love for others, and love for and from God. Our home fosters healing, learning, accountability and healthy relationships. During their stay, each guest's spiritual, addiction and mental health issues are assessed in one-on-one sessions. Work Therapy teaches life skills that are often misplaced or lost during addiction. The curriculum focuses on time management, work standards, attendance, attitude and initiative.
Case Management
The case manager works with our guests to connect them with outside resources and assist them with transitioning back into the community when they are ready. In the early phases, the case manager assists with obtaining ID's, applying for Medicaid and coordinates with our nurse to make sure they have enrolled in all necessary medical and mental health services. Later, the case manager will work with them to develop a housing plan, apply for Social Security disability (if needed), connect them with Vocational Rehabilitation (if needed), and access their credit report to begin to eliminate barriers to housing. Finally the case manager will help each guest identify a life path. They will assist them in developing a budget, paying off debt, saving money and locating safe, secure housing options.
We are a continuous-learning environment that promotes life-long learning. Our educational services include life skills, financial planning, and practical training customized for individual development toward occupational goals and successful living.
The impact of the Women’s Center
Upon completion of the program, each woman will:
- Have developed tools for ongoing wellness and recovery.
- Experience a sense of hope and purpose in life.
- Be prepared to live at her optimal level of interdependence.
- Have established community connections that support health and wholeness.
- Be financially secure and stable.
- Have a working self-care and relapse prevention plan.
- Have developed their personal relationship with Jesus.
Who is eligible to live at the Women’s Center?
Homeless women with histories of substance abuse and/or mental health needs seeking hope and healing.
Most of the Women's Center residents have experienced childhood trauma that has continued into adulthood. In this case, the root cause of addiction is unspeakable pain. Women come to us from extreme circumstances such as human trafficking, jail, drugs and alcohol, all of which are an attempt to seek relief from suffering. At Shelter KC we offer a home that is infused with healing and hope.
It’s our joy to serve each woman who comes into our home and treat her with dignity as she takes steps to heal and find freedom.
How can I enroll in the program?
All residents must undergo the following enrollment steps.
- Apply for admission by completing an initial screening and interview. To get started, call (816) 348-3287.
- Complete an in-depth intake interview and assessment with members of our program team.
- The program team will then determine the applicant’s readiness for admission into the program within 24 hours.
