O'Connell Children's Shelter, Inc.

Effective November 1, 2021, O'Connell Youth Ranch and The Shelter, Inc. merged to create a shared future serving children and families in Lawrence, KS. OYR was established in 1976 and The Shelter, Inc. in 1981, and collectively we have 80 years of experience serving at risk youth and families. We have a licensed capacity to serve almost 60 children in residential care, including YRCII and Emergency Shelter placements and Qualified Residential Treatment Services. We offer prevention services including truancy prevention programming and specialized case management. We also work with kinship families, foster families, and adoptive families, providing support and helping obtain licensure, homestudies and background checks.