Photo courtesy of Newhouse

Adriauna Barger

Editorial Assistant

Newhouse, Kansas City’s first domestic violence shelter and the only one located in the city’s urban core, is set to undergo major facility upgrades funded by a grant from Lowe’s Hometowns initiative.

Lowe’s Hometowns restores and revitalizes spaces that serve as “hubs and heartbeats” of the community. There were 100 projects spanning over 44 states selected this year, including Newhouse. Founded in 1971, Newhouse has evolved far beyond its original purpose.

Newhouse is undergoing a series of renovations that will not only update its physical space, but also deepen its mission of holistic healing.

Newhouse President and CEO, Courtney Thomas emphasized that these changes extend far beyond infrastructure.

“This isn’t about upgrading a kitchen or repainting walls – it’s about creating a space where survivors can start to feel whole again,” Thomas said.

This grant will support extensive updates throughout the shelter, including renovations to its commercial-grade kitchen, food service line, laundry room and common areas. In addition, the shelter will benefit from outdoor landscaping, new safety gates in the children’s center, improved lighting, retinted windows for energy efficiency and privacy and a fresh coat of paint throughout the building.

“We’re also renovating one of our common areas where families can just sit and hang out, maybe watch a movie,” said Thomas. “There are so many things that we otherwise wouldn’t have the opportunity to do.”

The renovations continue a multi-year effort to enhance the shelter.

“In February of 2020, we began remodeling all of the resident rooms. In 2021, we did all of the bathroom renovations, our dining room area, the administrative offices and stairwells,” said Thomas.

Located in one of Kansas City’s marginalized communities, Newhouse offers far more than temporary housing. The shelter provides wraparound services, including a full-time early childhood education center for infants through age five, a school-aged program and a 10-week summer camp. It also employs full-time therapists for both children and adults, case managers, legal advocates and a 24-hour hotline staff.

Unique among area shelters, Newhouse also employs an executive chef to prepare three hot meals a day.

“We know that food is medicine, and a lot of folks that come into the shelter come from a food insecure environment or situation. We want to be able to eliminate as many of those worries about the essentials,” Thomas said.

Rachel Hodgson, chief marketing officer at Newhouse, emphasized how brand identity plays a key role in helping survivors feel safe and supported.

“Newhouse is Kansas City’s oldest domestic violence shelter, but we are so much more than that,” said Hodgson. “We help children and adults who have been bravely facing domestic violence access life-transforming services so they can create new lives.”

Hodgson explained that whether survivors live in the shelter or connect through outreach, they have access to a wide array of free services.

“That includes therapy, legal advocacy, strengths-based case management, long-term housing support, our 24/7 crisis hotline, child care and job readiness,” she said. “I could go on about our full ecosystem of services.”

That ecosystem aims to break the cycle of domestic violence by addressing every aspect of a survivor’s healing journey.

“It takes complex solutions,” said Hodgson. “You need a safe bed, of course – that’s the first step – but to really heal and have that lifelong healing, you need therapy and all of those other services. We really are dedicated to long-term success.”

And a key part of that healing is the environment itself.

“We want to be sure that the place – the environment – feels like it sends the message around your worth, your self-worth, your dignity and respect,” Thomas said. “This is your temporary home as you begin your journey to a new life and a new beginning, and we want you to feel that.”

“A great brand hits all of the senses,” Hodgson said. “We try very hard to incorporate positivity into all that we do and uplift survivors with positive messaging – focusing on how everyone is worthy. You walk through the hallways and you see our staff and volunteers smiling and ready to support.”

The statistics surrounding domestic violence in Kansas City highlight the urgency of Newhouse’s work. In 2024, shelters across the metro served about 10,000 people, yet nearly 25,000 additional requests for help went unmet due to lack of space or resources.

“Every single time we answer the phone, every time we say yes, we are potentially saving a life,” Thomas said. “We rank in the top 10 deadliest states for women to be killed by their abusers. We are on track for 2025 to be our deadliest domestic homicide year in the last 10 years. We had already surpassed the total number of domestic violence homicides that occurred in 2024 – and we had done so by May.”

Lowe’s isn’t just offering funding – they’re also taking an active role in the project.

“They will bring in a team on-site to do some of the work, which is really exciting,” Thomas shared.

Ultimately, both Thomas and Hodgson want the public to understand that Newhouse is a place of transformation.

“I want them to think, ‘Wow, they are doing amazing things for survivors,’” Hodgson said. “We are so much more than a shelter and so proud to be a step in a survivor’s path towards healing.”

To contact Newhouse’s 24-hour Hotline, call 816-471-5800 or visit: www.newhousekc.org.