NEW BRAUNFELS, Texas — The Crisis Center of Comal County spent Friday celebrating its 37th birthday by officially opened their new headquarters and thrift shop.
Volunteers and stakeholders toured the new facility draped in Hawaiian-style leis and holding bingo-cards themed after the new building’s services.
Crisis Center Executive Director Julie Strentzsch said that even though the workers and volunteers at the Center deal with trauma and abuse on a regular basis, taking time to celebrate is essential.
"When you're talking about hard stuff, it's like ‘how can you talk about the light stuff?’ but that's how we do the hard stuff,” Strentzsch said “Having leis and walking around and celebrating the things that we can is what keeps us tethered to reality."
The new has completely transformed since Crisis Center Leadership gave New Braunfels residents a look at their plans back in February.
"We've had some generous people that have been willing to help,” Strentzsch said “Volunteers, community members, that have kind of come in and with their own sweat and blood and tears and everything, have helped us really bring this building to life."
They bought the property after a fire destroyed their old office in April 2022. Strentzsch said that to take its place, they are trying to build something better.
"We call it beauty in ashes,” she said. “So out of the ashes is arising a new crisis center. "
Strentzsch said the new building allows the crisis center to bring all their services to one central location.”
"We were spread out in different places,” she said. “It created stressors in trying to manage it and extra expenses to the agency."
Strentzsch said they aren't finished just yet. The Crisis Center is planning on building a brand-new shelter.
"It's going to be a state-of-the-art trauma informed and designed space," said.
They expect construction to cost $10 million. So far, they've raised over $2 million and hope to raise the rest through a capital campaign. They hope to have it completed in the fall of 2024.
24-hour crisis hotline number is 1-800-434-8013. The Crisis Center's services include shelter, counseling and support groups, legal advocacy, assistance with filing for child support, case management, victim’s advocacy, transportation, information, referral, community education and prevention.