Family Life Center reports Andover numbers: 81 hotline calls, 217 shelter nights

Family Life Center Executive Director Angela McClure reported to the Andover City Council on Oct. 27 on the services the El Dorado-based domestic violence and sexual assault agency provided to Andover residents over the past year.

The council approved a $3,000 grant of public funds to the Family Life Center in 2025, and recipients are required to report back to the council on how the money was used. McClure said the city's funds support the agency's 24-hour crisis hotline.

McClure said the agency received 81 crisis hotline calls originating from Andover. Four adults and six children with Andover residences stayed in the agency's shelter, for a total of 217 bed nights. The legal advocacy team assisted 34 Andover residents with protection orders and other court cases, and the agency provided emergency financial assistance totaling more than $7,700 to nine Andover residents, ranging from gas cards to rental and utility assistance.

The agency serves Butler, Greenwood, Elk and Chautauqua counties and is accredited through the Kansas Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence. McClure said the shelter is now pet friendly, and the agency has run awareness campaigns at Butler Community College's Andover campus. Its main fundraiser is a bunco tournament held each April in Augusta.

City grant applications are due each year by March 1.