Footprints is a community-based organization in Kansas City, Missouri, dedicated to reducing substance use disorders and homelessness—especially among low-income and justice-involved residents. Guided by the belief that everyone deserves the chance to heal, grow, and live independently, Footprints offers integrated support that helps people achieve long-term recovery and stability.

With a vision of a city where all people—regardless of past struggles—can access the resources they need, Footprints provides treatment, recovery housing, peer support, and outreach programs. Their services not only improve individual lives but also contribute to public safety, economic stability, and stronger neighborhoods.

Breaking Barriers To Treatment & Recovery

Footprints is committed to removing common obstacles to recovery. Services are low or no cost, accessible by public transportation, and offered in safe, welcoming spaces. The organization recognizes that recovery isn't just about stopping substance use—it's about creating a new life rooted in health, purpose, and connection.

Through a wraparound model that includes clinical professionals, peer mentors, and case managers, Footprints helps each client—called a “neighbor”—develop a personalized plan to address housing, employment, mental health, and family relationships.

Core Services Offered

1. Outpatient Treatment Services

Footprints provides outpatient substance use disorder treatment through individual counseling, group therapy, and recovery education. Licensed and credentialed counselors lead structured programming that includes relapse prevention, values clarification, and family dynamics. Classes are offered mornings, afternoons, and evenings to accommodate different schedules. Weekly drug screenings are required, and staff provide regular updates to criminal justice partners when applicable.

2. Recovery Community Center

The Wayne D. White Recovery Community Center, located on Troost Avenue, serves as a drop-in hub open seven days a week. Staffed by peers in recovery, it offers support groups, crisis intervention, case management, computer classes, resume support, and recovery-focused social activities. It fosters a sense of belonging and accountability, reinforcing that long-term recovery is possible through community.

3. Recovery Housing

Footprints operates three recovery housing locations: Heroes Home Gate, Turning Point, and Next Steps. These residences provide a safe, substance-free environment with a home-like feel. Residents receive individualized case management, therapy, life-skills education, hygiene essentials, and transportation support. Each client works toward goals like finding employment, building a financial plan, and securing permanent housing.

4. Criminal Justice Outreach & Recidivism Prevention

Footprints partners with drug courts and parole officers to support clients involved in the justice system. Staff deliver weekly reports and offer specialized programs like “Thinking for a Change,” a proven cognitive behavioral curriculum from the National Institute of Corrections. This curriculum helps participants shift harmful thinking patterns, reduce impulsivity, and build prosocial skills.

Focus On Equity & Community Revitalization

Footprints serves the urban core of Kansas City, particularly neighborhoods east of Troost Avenue—an area long impacted by racial segregation, economic disinvestment, and systemic inequality. This region continues to experience high rates of incarceration, substance use, and housing instability.

With gentrification pushing long-time residents out, the need for accessible recovery services and affordable housing has grown more urgent. Footprints stands in the gap, offering people a second chance and supporting efforts to build a more equitable community.

A Holistic, Trauma-Informed Approach

Substance use disorder does not occur in isolation. Many clients also face mental health challenges, trauma, and financial hardship. Footprints provides trauma-informed care that prioritizes dignity, safety, and empowerment. Individual and group counseling sessions help clients process past experiences and develop healthy coping strategies. Recovery housing ensures basic needs are met so individuals can focus on healing and rebuilding.

Protective Factors & Lifelong Tools

Footprints cultivates protective factors that are known to prevent relapse and support recovery, including:

• Access to non-judgmental, peer-led support

• Strong bonds with family and community

• Education in life skills like anger management and decision-making

• Stability through safe housing and employment pathways

These tools empower clients not just to survive but to thrive.

Measuring Success & Community Impact

Footprints measures success by looking beyond sobriety. Positive outcomes include:

• Reduced substance use and relapse

• Increased access to mental health services

• Greater independence and housing stability

• Improved employment readiness

• Decreased recidivism and justice system involvement

Each person served represents a family preserved, a community strengthened, and a future reclaimed.

A Client’s Journey

When someone arrives at Footprints’ Wayne D. White Center, they are welcomed with care and compassion. Intake staff assess their needs and create a custom action plan. Depending on their situation, the client may begin outpatient treatment, move into recovery housing, join support groups, and receive employment or legal assistance.

From the first handshake to the final transition into permanent housing, Footprints surrounds each person with a safety net of support—and a circle of hope.

Investing In Recovery

COMBAT funding directly supports the staff who deliver these life-changing services: counselors, peer specialists, case managers, and administrative personnel. A modest amount is also used for supplies like hygiene kits, clothing, and other essentials for new clients who arrive with nothing.

An investment in Footprints is an investment in a healthier, safer, and more resilient Jackson County. 

Locations

Click on the window icon (upper right corner) of the map below to expand. List of all program locations is included with expanded view of map. Locations are also listed on this page below the map.