Not unlike others who have a created a vision board to help maintain focus on a goal, Rose Brooks Center uses a vision statement to lead the efforts of our program work. Our vision statement supports the change we wish to see as a result of the work we do and states, “Rose Brooks Center envisions a world free of violence.” It continues on to explain how: “We will serve as a leader of innovative comprehensive family violence services, sharing our legacy of hope through advocacy, education, and empowerment.”
The bottom line is Rose Brooks Center is about saving lives. The lives of thousands who simply 
need more people on their side, advocating on their behalf and restoring hope. It is what fuels our desire to bring accessible programs and services to those who need them most – victims and survivors of domestic violence.
Each year, Rose Brooks Center reaches over 14,000 individuals and pets, and while we dream of a day when our services are no longer needed, we count it a privilege to still be here providing safe futures for adults, children, and pets.
To read more about our mission, vision, and services, please visit us online at www.rosebrooks.org/about-rosebrooks/overview.
Our Story
In the mid-1970’s, a small group of emergency room nurses called on the community to provide additional resources for victims of domestic violence. These committed citizens were seeing a recurrence of victims coming into the hospital related to injuries and other symptoms. A task force was created with nurses, the police department, court systems and other community resources. In 1978, the domestic violence task force was introduced to the family of Rosa Brooks. Rosa (who went by Rose) was a generous woman who always helped those in her community, so when she passed away, the Brooks family generously donated her home to the task force. 
Rose Brooks Center was established in October of that same year and in 1979, the doors to the new Rose Brooks Center emergency shelter opened. Within 24 hours, all 19 beds were full.
Because of the humanitarian legacy of Rosa Brooks, and her willingness to share her home and life with others who needed reprieve, Rose Brooks Center has grown into the largest one-site, comprehensive care facility in the state of Missouri. Today, hundreds of domestic violence survivors, their children and pets, seek shelter while escaping violence each year, while thousands more are served outside of shelter through groundbreaking community programs.