The general structure of an emergency shelter is not unlike that of a traditional home. In your home you have a kitchen, a place to do laundry, a bedroom with a closet for your clothes, and if you are very lucky, you also have your own bathroom.
As a response to COVID and with funding from Kansas City’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, Rose Brooks Center’s emergency shelter now has fully private spaces, including private bathrooms, small refrigerators, individual thermostats, and tables for meals, work, or homework. Not to mention, families now have the option to keep their beloved pet in their private rooms with them, allowing them to heal together.
Reducing Trauma
Funding specifically supported the reconstruction of existing shared bathrooms into 20 individual bathrooms. Prior to COVID, and prior to the reconstruction, families commonly shared rooms with other individuals recovering from trauma. Today, with completely private rooms, not only has it reduced the amount of time and expense to sanitize shared bathrooms, it has also reduced the recurrence of trauma among residents.
When families come to shelter, preceding their arrival they’ve had to endure violence from a loved one. As they enter their private and temporary home at Rose Brooks Center, their dignity is restored — and for that we say “thank you Kansas City.”
In Their Words
“I’m so grateful for Rose Brooks Center. Without them I could have never left my abuser. My two cats are too important to me and I couldn’t leave them behind. I only hope that more shelters follow Rose Brooks Center’s example and open their doors to the entire family.” – previous resident of Rose Brooks Center