Center for Safety and Empowerment
If you need to talk to someone about domestic violence, sexual assault, or trafficking abuse, please call our toll-free 24-hour helpline: 1-888-822-2983
If you are in immediate danger, call 911.
Visit the Resources page for information on safety planning, helping a loved one, and the issues of domestic violence, sexual assault, and trafficking.
Frequently Asked Questions
We believe that victims/survivors are the experts in their own relationships and in their own situations. The primary focus of an advocate is to work with and on behalf of the victim/survivor, creating an environment in which the victim/survivor can identify, express, explore, and understand the feelings in operation in order to act on their own behalf or to ask for assistance. Advocates offer warm, positive regard towards the victim/survivor, hold space, and offer support, solidarity, encouragement, information, and resources for the victim/survivor to achieve their identified goals on their own time.
No. All services at the YWCA Center for Safety and Empowerment are free and confidential. Services include a 24-hour hotline, accessible 24-hour emergency safe shelter, court advocacy, medical advocacy, crisis counseling, individual counseling, support groups, safety planning, case management, and public education and training.
No. Due to services being free and confidential, we will serve anyone regardless of whether or not they are insured, and we never bill any of our services to insurance companies.
We serve victims/survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking in our four-county service area of Shawnee, Jackson, Wabaunsee and Brown Counties in Kansas. We also serve secondary victims/survivors of relationship violence. If you have a loved one who is experiencing victimization, and you need extra support, you can access our services.
We operate on an empowerment-based / survivor-centered model that focuses on serving the needs of victims/survivors as they define these needs and their goals. This allows us to provide services for undesignated lengths of time and as needed.
In order to ensure that our services are accessible for the immediate needs of victims/survivors, we do provide walk-in services on a case-by-case basis. In order to ensure that an advocate is available, we encourage victims/survivors to call our 24-hour hotline at 1.888.822.2983 to make an appointment with an advocate, if possible.
No. We serve many adult victims/survivors who experienced victimization as children. We understand that due to the nature of trauma, a victim/survivor may need to access services years after their victimization occurred.
No. We do not require that any victim/survivor access any other systems or community services in order to receive services through our agency.
No. We serve victims/survivors of all genders, identities, and sexual orientations.
While the current COVID-19 pandemic may have impacted our service delivery, it hasn’t stopped us from serving survivors and their families in our community. In order to provide the safest environment for our clients, staff, volunteers, and guests, advocacy services are by appointment only. We are disinfecting surfaces regularly, everyone is asked to wear a mask or face shield when possible, and temperatures are taken upon entry. Advocates are available through our free and confidential 24-hour hotline: 1-888-822-2983.
Yes. We have several bilingual and multilingual advocates who are available to provide services. If a bilingual or multilingual advocate is unavailable, our advocates have access to the Language Line which allows for interpretation of services in numerous languages.
Although pets that are not certified service and/or support animals are not allowed in our safe shelters, we have recently teamed up with Hill’s Pet Nutrition’s Women’s Network and their Caring Hearts Committee to coordinate a pet foster home program for victims/survivors who are accessing residential and non-residential services through the YWCA Center for Safety and Empowerment. Through this collaboration, we recruit volunteers who will provide safe and secure foster homes for cats and dogs of victims/survivors. This foster program will afford victims/survivors some additional peace of mind during a particularly trying time as they can rest assured that their pets are being cared for in loving, safe homes, and can focus on getting the help and support they need.
Advocates are available 24/7 through our free and confidential hotline to discuss the situation, process options, and identify next steps. Our hotline can be reached at 1.888.822.2983.