105 West 11th, Lawrence, Kansas 66044
Phone: 785-843-2085

CEO: Judy Culley
Project Contact: Torrez Dawson

The Shelter, Inc., incorporated in 1981 to provide emergency/temporary residential care for adolescents in a facility owned by the City of Lawrence. The agency’s stated mission is “to improve the lives of children and families, with a focus on children at risk in Douglas County and northeast Kansas.” The central goal of this project, prevention of out of home placements and state custody through community collaboration, early intervention, and empowerment services, is absolutely in keeping with that mission. Because the project is defined as “an integrated process, measuring results across program areas, and combining multiple service delivery mechanisms,” it is perfectly suited for the agency. The Shelter has a number of program areas that work toward the goal of preventing placement, as indicated above, and has numerous close relationships with other service providers who can all help meet that goal.

The Shelter’s current divisions of service consist of Residential Care, Juvenile Intake, and Family Services. All three divisions provide both “intervention services” for children who are involved in the system and “prevention services” for children whom the agency hopes to keep from entering the system. The “prevention services” are the ones most relevant to this project.