BOERNE, Texas – Last week’s flooding hit Kendall County hard, and now a nonprofit organization says it is dealing with thousands of dollars in new damage on top of a growing list of overdue repairs.
The Kendall County Women’s Shelter said floodwater pushed into the basement of its building, an area that sits beneath the shelter’s thrift store.
The basement, which is used for thrift store storage, took on water amid the heavy rain. Many donated items were damaged or destroyed, shelter officials said.
“It’s just another thing,” said Allison Peterson, the shelter’s executive director, who started in the role in March.
Peterson said volunteers spent much of the weekend cleaning up after the water receded, but the shelter is still drying out the space and assessing what can be salvaged.
The flooding is the latest blow to an organization that has been fundraising to repair its aging building. Peterson said the shelter has faced a steady string of maintenance problems in recent months, including air conditioning issues and leaks from equipment such as water heaters.
“You have to have the funding to be able to take care of these things,” Peterson said.
The shelter which sits in a separate location and did not suffer flooding, provides emergency housing and support services for women and families, Peterson said.
The facility is about 7,000 square feet, has nine bedrooms and serves about 36 people daily. She said the shelter is typically at capacity and helps clients with basics such as food and clothing, along with services including counseling and case management.
The shelter operates on about $100,000 a month, Peterson said. Revenue from its thrift store helps offset costs, making the loss of donations and damage to storage space especially challenging.
Even outside the building, the flooding worsened existing issues, Peterson said, including damage to a back driveway that was already in need of repair.
Community leaders who want to help can donate money or offer volunteer labor, including skilled work from local businesses, the shelter said.