Trauma and abuse care center seeks one-time county support and operational clarity

The Trauma and Abuse Care Center (referred to in the meeting as the STA Care Center) told Douglas County commissioners on July 10 that it is requesting a one-time $300,000 county grant to create an operational reserve and support expanded services.

Sarah Maria, identified in the hearing as the center’s executive director, said the agency currently pays rent on three locations — a primary office across from LMH in Lawrence plus two satellite sites — and does not occupy donated space. She described three months of operating reserves as a common funder expectation, said the center currently has none, and said the requested $300,000 would establish a buffer that would allow the board and staff to pursue fundraising and meet matching requirements for grants.

Commissioners asked for more detailed financial documentation. One commissioner said the center’s budget narrative showed a $57,000 deficit for 2025 and questioned why staff stipends were paid in lieu of a continuous executive director salary in a prior year; the center’s director explained stipends were paid to staff who took on leadership tasks during a leadership vacancy and so there were not savings from an absent executive director. The director said the board had agreed to step up to avoid repeating that gap.

On overhead the center’s grant manager told the commission that the Lawrence site’s monthly rent is approximately $3,500. The center also described using ARPA funds earlier for renovations to make the space usable and trauma-informed; the director said the ARPA work had upgraded rented space and did not include a purchase agreement with the landlord. She said the agency has fundraising limits because of Lawrence’s crowded nonprofit environment and the sensitive subject matter of sexual assault services.

Commissioners asked whether the center would resume in-house child therapy if part of the supplemental were funded. The director said the program might reintroduce child therapy if staff who are fully licensed become available; she explained staff avoided some child-therapy roles previously because of licensing and subpoena concerns.

Staff and commissioners asked the center to provide more precise monthly overhead figures for its Lawrence office and to clarify where the $300,000 would appear in the county’s review materials. At the hearing no formal funding decision was taken; commissioners asked staff to follow up with the center for additional documentation before budget deliberations.

Ending: County staff requested more detailed monthly and line-item financials and follow-up clarifications about ARPA-funded renovations and the center’s plan for sustaining operations if granted a one-time amount.