Intimate partner violence affects more than 12 million people every year. Help is available day and night at no cost through Saint Luke’s community domestic violence partners.

Domestic violence agencies offer:

  • Crisis intervention
  • Safety planning
  • Emergency shelter (when available)
  • Community referrals
  • Therapy and support groups
  • Safe at Home program (address confidentiality program)
  • Legal advocacy and support (agency dependent)
  • Economic and employment advocacy
  • Emergency orders of protection (county specific)

Find domestic and intimate partner violence agencies in the Kansas City region.

Examples of domestic violence

Domestic or intimate partner violence is a pattern of physical, emotional, sexual, economic, or abusive behaviors used by one individual to control another in the context of a current or past intimate or family relationship. 

This list includes some, but not all, examples of abuse.

Emotional:

  • Name-calling and putdowns
  • Emotional manipulation and control
  • Isolation from family and friends
  • Interfering with school or work
  • Intimidation
  • Yelling
  • Using children to manipulate parents’ emotions
  • Use of fear and shame
  • Sexist comments
  • Jealousy and possessiveness
  • Ridicule or public humiliation
  • Bullying through social media (cyberbullying)
  • Threats:
    • To harm family, friends, animals
    • To take away children
    • Of being kicked out 
    • Of using weapons 
    • Of being killed 

Physical:

  • Stalking
  • Punching walls, slamming doors, destruction of personal property
  • Pushing, strangling/choking, slapping, biting, burning, kicking, punching, scraping, pinching 
  • Forcing use of alcohol or drugs
  • Violence against pets
  • Withholding medication or preventing access to medical or dental care 
  • Unwanted/coerced touching or sexual contact, forced pregnancy or forced termination, rape 

Financial:

  • Withholding money or implementing an allowance
  • Sabotaging attendance at job, such as hiding car keys
  • Forbidding partner to work
  • Hiding or stealing assets
  • Preventing access to bank account
  • Deliberately destroying credit
  • Refusing to pay bills

Source: hopehouse.net/get-help/domestic-violence

Develop a safety plan

A safety plan can be tailored to a variety of situations, including while in an abusive relationship, planning to leave an abusive relationship, or after having already left the relationship.

If you are in immediate danger, call 911. 

Learn more about developing a safety plan from the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 800-799-7233 or visiting thehotline.org.

Domestic and intimate partner violence agencies in the Kansas City region

Saint Luke’s partners with the following organizations to care for victims of domestic and intimate partner violence.

Rose Brooks Center  
816-861-6100 | rosebrooks.org 
South Kansas City, Jackson County, Missouri

Synergy 
816-321-7050 | synergyservices.org 
Platte, Clay, Northern Jackson Counties, Liberty and Smithville, Missouri

Newhouse 
816-471-5800 | newhousekc.org 
Northeast Missouri, Kansas City, Missouri

Hope House 
816-461-4673 | hopehouse.net 
Eastern Jackson County, Raytown, Grandview, Oak Grove, Buckner, Independence, Lee’s Summit, and Blue Springs, Missouri

Hope Haven 
816-380-4663 | hopehavenofcasscounty.org
Cass and Lafayette Counties, Missouri

Safe Home 
913-262-2868 | safehome-ks.org
Johnson County, Kansas

Friends of Yates 
913-321-0951 | friendsofyates.org 
Wyandotte County, Kansas City, Kansas

The Alliance Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault 
913-675-7217 | aafvks.org 
Leavenworth and Lansing, Kansas

Greenhill’s Women’s Shelter 
816-632-4900 | greenhillswomensshelter.net 
Cameron, Trenton, Chillicothe, Missouri

Hope Unlimited 
620-365-7566 | hope-unlimited.org 
Anderson, Neosho, Woodson, and Allen Counties, Kansas

Rended Heart 
816-343-4558 | rendedheart.org 
Provides support for sexual exploitation and abuse in an intimate partner relationship. 

National Domestic Violence Hotline 
1-800-799-7233 | thehotline.org

For immediate assistance or referral to the closest Emergency Department, call 816-932-2000.