26 August 2023
TOPEKA (KSNT) — A local organization tasked with housing people in need of shelter is undergoing renovations to create a more comfortable, stress-free environment.
Volunteers started renovating the Topeka Rescue Mission’s (TRM) Hope Center Friday. The goal is to bring this building to life with lots of vibrant colors.
“We want the environment to be warm and welcoming and inviting,” Kourtney Barr, the organization’s Director of Trauma Education & Development, said. “We know through research that the environment can have a direct impact on a person’s belief system, in their worthiness, and their self-worth, and the environment has a huge effect on whether we feel good about ourselves or maybe we feel down.”
The renovations are part of a two-phase project designed to upgrade the North Topeka shelter serving women and families. Rooms in the shelter previously had plain white walls and floor tiles. Once the renovations are complete, the rooms will have dark brown, vinyl floorboards and either lavender or light green walls.
“Something that was really important to us was that we become trauma-informed in all things,” Barr said. “So, that includes our environment. That is the heart behind this work.”
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Topeka gave TRM a $30,000 grant to help with the renovations. Volunteers from the bank also stepped in to help when it came time to roll up their sleeves and get to work.
“We have great upper management that supports us in this, and a lot of our upper management is actually here painting either today or tomorrow,” bank volunteer Troy McMaster said. “It starts with our president. He wants us involved, he wants us out here, he wants us doing it.”
Over 100 volunteers will be at the Hope Center working to complete the first floor tomorrow.
“Everything is being done today and tomorrow,” Barr said. “We’re doing this all in two days which is amazing. And then, in 2024, next year in August again, we’ll move upstairs and do the exact same renovations there.”
Even though the first floor is closed for renovations, the second floor of the Hope Center is still operating at this time. Barr told 27 News the renovations will flip next August, where the first floor will be open while the second floor is closed briefly for renovations.