KENDALL COUNTY, Texas – The Kendall County Women’s Shelter began as a crisis hotline in 2006. As leaders recognized the growing need, they established a shelter in 2012.
Holly Aldridge is the CEO and says the need continues to grow as does the awareness. "We are educating the teens in school with our Young Hearts program to hopefully start some prevention with the younger ones before it gets to a point where they need our services," she said.
The shelter serves an average of 220 clients each year.
“About 52% of our clients come from Bexar County, and about 14% come from Kendall County, and then other different areas,” Aldridge said.
Some clients are even coming in from out of state. Clients are offered a five-month stay to get their lives together. Services like counseling, child advocacy, food, shelter and other support are offered.
“A lot of our funding comes from individual donors, corporations and churches,” Aldridge said. “We do have some funding through the government, but a lot (of) it is donation(s).”
Federal and state grant cuts cost the shelter about $300,000, according to Aldridge. Recently, some local donors redirected their funding to support the victims of the Hill Country Flood.
But the shelter continues with its mission to help anyone, anywhere.
“Domestic violence, it does not discriminate,” she said. “In an affluent community like this, we’re starting to see more people come out and just speak about what’s happening to them and just knowing that there are services out there available for them.”
Right now, the Safe Pillow Project is underway. Donations will directly support the services the shelter provides. Click here to support them.
Support can also be done by shopping at their thrift stores. Their locations are:
- 934 N School St, Boerne, Texas 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. | Tuesday - Saturday
- 616 Front St, Comfort, Texas 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. | Wednesday - Saturday