COMPILED BY LAUREN CANTERBERRY
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DivaDance
The Goddard School
COURTESY DIVADANCE
COURTESY THE GODDARD SCHOOL
Case managers Charles Laws and Heather Herrera are part of the First Footing Program team and assist individuals experiencing homelessness.
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COURTESY NEW BRAUNFELS HOUSING PARTNERS
FEATURED IMPACT COMMUNITY In a May 25 press release NB Housing Partners announced that a plan to renovate the Comal County Senior Citizens Center, located at 655 Landa St., for the permanent home of the First Footing program was canceled. NB Housing Partners and the Salvation Army had entered into a verbal agreement with the Comal County Senior Citizens Foundation to eventually use the property to house individuals experiencing homelessness, according to the release. NB Housing Partners and other local nonpro t organizations joined to create the First Footing shelter program in February 2021. The program uses hotel space to house those experiencing homelessness locally and has served more than 300 individuals, over 80% of which are from the New Braunfels area, said Kellie Stallings, administrator of First Footing. Plans to move the program into the former senior center were halted when an environmental review and ood plain mapping study showed that extensive ood-proo ng was needed to meet requirements for compliance with the city of New Braunfels occupancy codes, according to the release. While NB Housing Partners and the
Salvation Army had prepared for some expenses associated with ood mitigation, the addition of up to two years to the construction timeline was not expected and do not align with the program’s relocation schedule, according to the release. “We are saddened 655 Landa St. didn’t work out for the First Footing program,” Stallings said in the release. “We are continuing to explore other locations right now.” The organization previously tried to purchase a hotel located at 201 Loop 337, Stallings said in an email, but the deal fell through. Funding provided by the Community Development Block Grant was tied to the location and cannot be transferred to another site, she said. No other potential sites have been announced, and the group plans to continue leasing hotel space until a new location is secured, Stallings said. “We have short-term funding to continue our current hotel lease,” Stallings said in an email. “This option is not cost- e ective or sustainable in the long term and utilizes resources that could be diverted to direct services.” In addition to providing shelter, the program connects individuals with local support resources, assists with job searches and ultimately works to nd permanent housing.
The Mercer
Pat's Place
RENDERING COURTESY GMBC
BRIAN RASHCOMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
ing reclining chairs, sofas, beds and more. 210-824-3981. www.la-z-boy.com EXPANSIONS 9 In early June, local nonpro t Room Redux will open new o ce and ware- house buildings at 2051 Bunker St., New Braunfels. Founded in 2018 by Susie Vybiral, Room Redux coordinates with caregivers, caseworkers, counselors and volunteers to transform the rooms of chil- dren who have endured trauma in order to create a safe space where they can heal. The organization now operates in more than 20 cities around the world and will use the new buildings as its international headquarters. Room Redux partnered with Arched Cabins, a Houston company that designs building kits for small cabins, to construct the arched structures that will house donations and o ces. 830-745-3387. www.roomredux.org 10 Rockin R River Rides opened a new on-site bar called The Gruene Light at 1405 Gruene Road, New Braunfels. The bar will sell drinks and feature live music
on select Fridays and Saturdays through- out the summer. 830-629-9999. www.rockinr.com ANNIVERSARIES 11 Pat’s Place , located at 202 S. Union Ave., New Braunfels, celebrated 45 years in business May 15. The restaurant opened in 1977 and serves hamburgers, enchiladas, sandwiches and a variety of daily specials. On May 20, the restaurant announced that the establishment had been sold to new owners who will take over operation. Previous owners Carol Guedry and Terry Moorhead had been considering selling the business for more than a year, according to Guedry. 830-625-9070. www.patsplacenb.com 12 Raba Kistner celebrated 10 years at the company’s New Braunfels location in May. The rm, located at 211 Trade Center Drive, Ste. 300, o ers engineer- ing, geology, project management, infra- structure oversight and more services. 830-214-0544. www.rkci.com
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NEW BRAUNFELS EDITION • JUNE 2022
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