Help in Kansas
For people starting over after prison, foster care, treatment, homelessness, abuse, or trafficking
We've verified 17 places in Kansas, most of them in Wichita, Topeka and Kansas City, plus 8 that serve the whole state. The most help we've found here is for people leaving homelessness (10) and after prison or jail (9).
Kansas 211
Free, confidential information line covering the whole state that points callers to food pantries, shelters, rent and utility help, health care, and job programs. Referral specialists answer live on weekdays; a searchable directory at 211Kansas.org works around the clock.
International Rescue Committee Wichita
Resettlement office serving refugees, asylees, and other humanitarian arrivals in the Wichita area with housing setup, food and health care referrals, English classes, job placement for up to five years after arrival, and low-cost immigration legal help.
Union Rescue Mission
Faith-based emergency shelter in north Wichita for men who have nowhere to sleep, with overnight beds, showers, hot meals, and clothing. Longer-term residents can enter addiction recovery and life-change programs plus job readiness training with computer skills, resume help, and employer placement.
HumanKind Ministries
Wichita nonprofit running emergency shelter, intermediary housing, and long-term housing programs for people and families in poverty or without a home. Case managers connect shelter guests to permanent housing options; families are often referred by the city's Homeless Outreach Team.
Topeka Rescue Mission
Topeka's largest shelter, housing roughly 220 to 240 people a night, with three daily meals, job training and work-detail programs, rehousing help, and a human trafficking intervention program. Street Reach teams bring food, water, and gear to people sleeping outside, and a distribution center hands out free food boxes twice a week.
Cross-Lines Community Outreach
Kansas City, Kansas community center offering hot meals, a free grocery market, emergency rent and utility assistance, and housing navigation for people living in poverty in Wyandotte County and the surrounding metro.
Kansas Legal Services
Nonprofit civil legal aid for low-income Kansans in all 105 counties, handling housing, protection orders, public benefits, expungement, and family law through eleven offices. One statewide intake line screens applicants on weekdays; an online application is open Monday morning through Thursday afternoon.
Kansas Driver's License and Nondriver ID Card
State office that issues Kansas ID cards and driver's licenses. Applicants need one proof of identity (state birth certificate, passport, or immigration document), proof of Social Security number, and two proofs of a Kansas street address; a P.O. box is not accepted. Credentials arrive by mail in up to 45 days.
Kansas Food Assistance (SNAP)
Monthly food benefits for qualifying low-income Kansas households, applied for through the DCF Self-Service Portal or by phone. The same portal handles cash and child care assistance applications.
KanCare (Kansas Medicaid)
Kansas's Medicaid program, covering medical, behavioral health, and substance use treatment for eligible low-income residents. Former foster youth qualify to age 26. Enrollment is free; apply online or by phone.
National lines that work in Kansas
SAMHSA National Helpline
Free, confidential treatment referral for substance use and mental health. Finds local programs that take your insurance or none.
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
Call or text 988 for any mental health or substance use crisis. Available to anyone in any program.
Lifeline free phone program
Free or discounted phone and service for people on Medicaid, SNAP, SSI, or low income. Apply online or through a carrier.
National Human Trafficking Hotline
24/7 confidential hotline for survivors of trafficking and people who suspect it. Connects to vetted local services.
National Domestic Violence Hotline
24/7 confidential help for anyone affected by domestic violence. Advocates connect you to local shelters and legal help.
Start right where you are
Each program has a step-by-step checklist for the first 72 hours, 30 days, and 90 days, so you always know your next step.