KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Amid a growing demand for services at Newhouse KC, a shelter for victims of domestic violence, potential federal funding cuts could impact a fifth of the shelter's budget, according to its president and CEO.
On April 7, officials from Kansas City, Missouri, and Jackson County gathered with local services for victims of domestic violence to discuss an "alarming increase" in domestic violence in KCMO.
"Last year, our city recorded 12 domestic violence-related homicides for the entire year," said KCPD chief Stacey Graves. "Today, on April 7, 2025, we've recorded 12 domestic violence homicides since January 1."
Courtney Thomas, Newhouse's president and CEO, called the statistic a "critical crisis."
"This year, we have seen a rise in calls and number of survivors we have served," she said.
Newhouse has a 24/7 crisis hotline for victims of domestic violence.
The hotline averages about 42 calls per day. It's a 6% increase in calls from 2024, according to Thomas.
Isabel Sierra has worked the hotline for four years, and she says she's noticed an increase in high lethality calls as of recent.
"I can't even count how many times I've had to tell people, 'We're full. I'm sorry, we're at capacity,'" she said.
Newhouse is a 92-bed shelter that also offers case management, therapy, children services and legal advocacy.
Newhouse coordinates with other local domestic violence shelters multiple times a day to see if there are any openings. If there are, Newhouse directs its hotline callers to where those openings are.
"The unfortunate reality is, most of the shelters are full all the time," Thomas said.
Thomas said if Newhouse loses a fifth of its budget due to federal funding, the shelter will have to get strategic with its services.
"The need for our services is not decreasing, it's increasing, and organizations like Newhouse are starting in the face the opportunity of lost funds," Thomas said.
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