Sheffield Place

mission
The mission of Sheffield Place is “To empower homeless mothers and their children to heal from their trauma and help them become self-sufficient.”

History
Sheffield Place opened its doors in February 1991 as a community response to the growing population of homeless mothers and their children in the Kansas City area.  Since then, Sheffield Place has assisted more than 560 families in making the difficult journey from homelessness to self-sufficiency.  The results speak for themselves.  Ninety percent of the program’s graduates and 65 percent of non-graduates achieve success.  Success is defined as achieving greater self-determination, increasing education and employment skills, obtaining and retaining permanent housing, and overcoming the impact of trauma. 

About Trauma Informed Care

Current research identifies trauma as a major risk factor for a number adverse health and mental health outcomes.  By understanding and treating trauma as the service delivery model, Sheffield Place is a leader and innovator in providing Trauma Informed Care for both children and adults. Key milestones include: 

• In 2007, Sheffield Place became the first homeless shelter in the nation to provide the three best evidence-based therapeutic modalities for traumatized children.
• In January 2008, Sheffield Place implemented the CARE (Child Adult Relationship Enhancement) model for trauma informed service systems. 
• In August 2008, Sheffield Place was selected as one of 20 organizations nationwide to participate in a learning community sponsored by The National Child Traumatic Stress Network to implement Integrated Treatment of Complex Trauma (ITCT). 
• In March 2009, as a result of our commitment to evidence-based treatments, Sheffield Place was recognized as a national best practice for our work with traumatized, homeless children (America’s Youngest Outcasts: A State Report Card on Child Homelessness, March 2009).
• In 2011, Sheffield Place was named a best practice in homeless services by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Region VII.

Sheffield Place believes that the mental health needs of the homeless mothers and children who call Sheffield Place home must be addressed to help children and families heal from their trauma to gain self-sufficiency.