New Compassion Impact Center Opens to Help Topeka's Homeless

The one-stop resource hub aims to address a range of needs for the city's unsheltered population.

Apr. 7, 2026 at 9:38pm

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A brightly colored, high-contrast silkscreen print of a stylized illustration of a person sitting on a bench, repeated in a tight grid pattern, conceptually representing the Compassion Impact Center's efforts to address homelessness in Topeka through a comprehensive, collaborative approach.The Compassion Impact Center aims to provide a one-stop resource hub for Topeka's unsheltered population, addressing a range of needs through a collaborative approach.Topeka Today

The Compassion Impact Center has opened in Topeka, Kansas, providing a centralized location for people experiencing homelessness to access a variety of services. The new facility, located in the former Topeka Rescue Mission Children's Palace, is a collaborative effort between over 60 local agencies and organizations. The center is designed to help address the complex and multifaceted needs of the city's unsheltered population, including housing support, health services, job training, and more.

Why it matters

Homelessness is a persistent challenge in many communities, and Topeka is no exception. The Compassion Impact Center represents a comprehensive approach to addressing this issue by bringing together a wide range of resources and services under one roof. This model aims to more effectively identify and break down the barriers that individuals experiencing homelessness face, with the ultimate goal of ending chronic homelessness in the city.

The details

The Compassion Impact Center is being led by the nonprofit organization Compassion Strategies, but it involves the collaboration of over 60 local agencies. The center is located in the former Topeka Rescue Mission Children's Palace and is designed to serve as a one-stop shop for people experiencing homelessness. Services available at the center include housing support, health services, job training, and more. During a pilot period at other locations, the center saw between 60 to 100 people per day accessing its resources.

  • The Compassion Impact Center officially opened on April 7, 2026.

The players

Compassion Strategies

The nonprofit organization leading the operation of the Compassion Impact Center.

Barry Feaker

The CEO of Compassion Strategies, who oversees the Compassion Impact Center.

Topeka Rescue Mission

The organization that previously operated the Children's Palace, which now houses the Compassion Impact Center.

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What they’re saying

“Everyone wishes there were just one fix, but there's not. So many different needs, there's mental health, physical health, housing, job training, good mentoring, friendships, and sustainable housing for people. And pet care, with something called Street Dog Coalition, that we work with. Everybody's got their own piece of this, but they want to bring all the pieces together.”

— Barry Feaker, CEO, Compassion Strategies

“Today's the first day, April 7, to have our one-stop homeless resource center here, in combination with a growing effort over the next year to grow these 60 agencies to be able to have a place to engage with our unsheltered homeless, identify barriers, break those barriers, and hopefully, in some way, shape or form, one person at a time, end their chronic homelessness.”

— Barry Feaker, CEO, Compassion Strategies

What’s next

Over the next year, Compassion Strategies plans to continue growing the network of over 60 agencies collaborating at the Compassion Impact Center, with the goal of expanding the resources and services available to Topeka's unsheltered population.

The takeaway

The Compassion Impact Center represents a comprehensive, collaborative approach to addressing homelessness in Topeka. By bringing together a wide range of services and resources under one roof, the center aims to more effectively identify and break down the barriers that individuals experiencing homelessness face, with the ultimate goal of ending chronic homelessness in the city.