KC Cares: Tyler’s House provides a decompression chamber for young adults

Tyler’s House KC offers many activities for teens to do after school. // Photo by Beth Lipoff

It’s important to have a safe space to be yourself, and sometimes those areas are in short supply for teenagers. Tyler’s House KC has stepped in to try and fill the gap.

Located in Mission, Tyler’s House is a place for high school students to hang out after school, engage in programs and decompress from their days. It draws kids from all over the area, from Kansas City, Kan., to Olathe, mostly by word of mouth.

“I do know we get calls from parents who are looking for safe spaces where their kids cannot be bullied and feel like they can socialize with peers who have common ground,” says Cori Hastings, founder and executive director.

Hastings used to work as an accompanist for the Shawnee Mission North choral and theater departments and saw that many teens needed something more than what was available.

After she stepped away from that role in 2019, she decided to do something about it.

“The whole purpose is to help these kids connect and find ways to express themselves and maybe discover more about themselves in the process. At the time, I had no idea we were going to have a worldwide pandemic to make that need more significant,” she says.

Johnson County Mental Health has been a big supporter of Tyler’s House, offering them a grant in 2021 that paid a year’s rent for their first physical location after months of socially distant efforts at programming.

“Our goal is to provide all kinds of creative outlets for students as well as really direct ways for them to think about their emotional health,” Hastings says.

That can come in the form of presenters running programs, such as Johnson County K-State Research and Extension offering cooking demos in the space’s kitchen.

One area where teens can get creative at Tyler’s House KC is in its Makerspace. // Photo by Beth Lipoff

Teens can also work in the Makerspace, equipped with a 3-D printer, a laser cutter, leathering tools and more. Other programs can range from mindfulness to regular Dungeons and Dragons games.

They often integrate mental health coping techniques into programs. Through No Divide KC’s Art Spark program, Luke “Skippy” Harbur, has led the kids in a creative movement session.

“After the movement part is over, he’ll actually sit down with kids and get a pulse on how they’re feeling that day and what’s going on in their lives. They really do respond to things like that,” Hastings says.

The community she’s built with Tyler’s House may be its biggest asset.

“They’re all so all so supportive of one another. There have been times when we’ve had students having a panic attack or something, and I’d go to talk with them, and one of the one students will stop me and say, ‘You know what? I deal with this all the time. Let me take care of it,’ and they’ll befriend them, whether or not they even knew them very well before,” Hastings says.

Sixteen-year-old J’Lynn Squire, a student at Sumner Academy, has been coming to Tyler’s House for two years. She loves to attend movie nights, make jewelry with her friends and do karaoke.

“I made friends. I didn’t think I was going to make friends here. I figured I’d stay in my usual groups, but everyone is so welcoming here, it’s kind of hard not to,” she says.

Tyler’s House is the only place she hangs out besides her friend’s house.

“If I had to choose between home, school and Tyler’s House, I’d probably pick Tyler’s House,” she says.

Jonathan True, 16, has found an appreciative audience for his love of baking at Tyler’s House.

“It’s just a great place to have people be non-biased but not rude. I want to be a baker when I grow up, so I like to bake and get people’s opinions on what I do,” he says.

He appreciates the mix of chill, laidback vibes with occasional energetic programs.

“Everybody here is as inclusive as I’ve ever noticed, especially when you come from high school, (where) everybody’s all judgy and pointing fingers. It’s a very stark contrast, because everyone includes everyone,” he says.

Hastings says they can always use more volunteers to engage with the kids through games and art projects. She’s hoping to find someone who’s good at teaching teens how to use the Makerspace equipment.

Tyler’s House is located at 6200 Johnson Drive in Mission. For more information, visit tylershousekc.org.