As Kansas City domestic violence deaths rise, help is available: ‘We’re here.’
On average, the hotline at Newhouse, one of Kansas City’s domestic violence shelters, rings 43 times a day.
Many of those callers are looking for the same thing: a safe bed. And during a year where local authorities are dealing with a significant rise in domestic violence homicides and an increase in the severity of abuse reported, these beds are even more critical.
“We’re at capacity every day,” said Courtney Thomas, president and CEO of Newhouse. “So literally, the only time that we have an open room is just when it’s being cleaned.
“We clean it, turn the room over, you know, wash all the bedding, get the room reset and bring another family or person in immediately”
The same calls are coming in at other shelters in the KC area — from Rose Brooks Center and Mattie Rhodes on the Missouri side to Safehome and Friends of Yates on the Kansas side. And similar needs are being met as the Kansas City community deals with severe cases of violence in families and relationships.
In all of 2024, 12 homicides in Kansas City involved domestic violence. So far this year, with more than five months to go, there have been 16, according to police.
The fear among those who work with domestic violence is that 2025 eventually could top 2023, when 22 homicides in KC involved domestic violence. The year before, in 2022, there were only three homicides related to domestic violence, police information shows.
Other cities and counties in the metro, including Lenexa and Platte County, are also seeing devastating domestic violence deaths this year.
It’s why there’s an urgency to let individuals and families impacted by domestic violence know what help and resources are available and how they can access them. Domestic violence staff in shelters across state lines say they’re working to help as many individuals and families as they can.
“I really, truly believe that all of the domestic violence agencies are doing everything we can to say, ‘We’re here,’” said Heidi Wooten, president and CEO of Safehome, a Johnson County domestic violence shelter. “And that we’re here to help.”
Lisa Fleming, CEO of Rose Brooks Center, a Kansas City domestic violence shelter, agreed.
“We need to keep spreading the word,” Fleming said. “I think that we will need to continue to listen to survivors to find out how they are getting the information and listening to our community.”
Here’s where survivors can turn.
One number, one mission
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse or violence, you can call the Kansas City metro-wide hotline for help at 816-HOTLINE (816-468-5463).
By calling that number, you can get free information about housing, financial aid, medical aid, counseling services and shelters 24 hours a day. While shelters have their own hotline numbers, those in the KC area share this one.
“Each shelter takes a day of the week that they answer the community hotline,” Thomas said. “Those phones are staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We never are closed for a holiday or weather or anything like that, because domestic violence never takes a break.”
The hotline was created in the 1990s to ensure there was one number survivors could call to get services and immediate help, Fleming said.
“If you had survivors who were not able to write down the number, or have have a card with the number written on it,” she said, “they could hopefully remember 816-HOTLINE.”
The shared number and “coordinated effort” has been huge for the KC area, Thomas said.
“A survivor that’s trying to flee is experiencing so many high priority things at one given time,” Thomas said. “(They) can’t possibly remember all the numbers to the other shelters, and it could be a very dangerous situation for them to have those numbers stored in their phone, written down.”
And, Thomas said, when survivors or their loved ones do call the metro hotline, “they know that they will always be connected to someone.”
Services, shelters on the Missouri side
Newhouse has 92 beds and by the end of the year is expected to break ground on another 40. The domestic violence shelter also provides therapy services, court advocacy and transitional housing.
To access services provided by Newhouse, you can call the shelter’s 24/7 Crisis Hotline at 816-471-5800. Like at other hotlines, advocates answering the phones will ask questions and determine how Newhouse can help, whether it is finding a safe bed or helping create a safety plan for the caller and/or family.
Rose Brooks Center is a domestic violence shelter that also accommodates pets. Its 24-hour crisis hotline is 816-861-6100.
In addition to getting information about the shelter, callers also receive details about other services provided by Rose Brooks, from safety plans to therapy.
Hope House is a nonprofit that operates six domestic violence shelters in the Kansas City area. You can reach it directly at 816-461-4673.
The Mattie Rhodes Center provides crisis counseling services primarily in Spanish to Kansas City families. Its services include domestic violence intervention and mental health counseling. You can contact the center at 816-241-3780.
Synergy Services is a domestic violence and youth crisis resource center based in Parkville. Teens and young adults can call its youth crisis hotline at 816-741-8700 or 888-233-1639 to learn about its services, which include a shelter for runaway and homeless youth.
Resources on the Kansas side
Safehome is a domestic violence shelter and nonprofit located in Overland Park. You can call its 24-hour hotline at 913-262-2868.
In addition to the shelter, Safehome provides individual and group counseling, support groups and court and legal services. It also has a 24-hour healthcare emergency room response that includes all hospitals in Johnson County.
Friends of Yates is a comprehensive community agency in Wyandotte County that helps survivors of domestic violence. It provides domestic violence education, prevention services, youth and adult development and emergency shelter.
Its hotline can be reached at 913-321-0951.
