Congratulations to 2021 High Impact Grant recipient Family Violence Prevention Services (FVPS) on the recent ribbon cutting celebration marking the completion of the new storage structure on the campus of the Battered Women and Children’s Shelter.
Q&A with Melinda Darrow, FVPS Director of Agency Advancement:
Tell us about the need for the storage facility and the road to its completion?
Due to the realities of economic abuse and the reality that, at times, survivors flee whenever the opportunity presents itself, our residents regularly arrive with little to no safe access to funds and supplies- sometimes with nothing but the clothes on their backs. The Battered Women and Children’s Shelter must be ready, then, to meet their material needs, be it clothes, diapers, bedding, toys, furniture when they move out, or toiletries. This storage facility will allow us to store more of these supplies on site, allowing easier access. (Currently, some supplies need to be picked up from storage facilities around the city, or from the organization’s Donation Center downtown.) Additionally, it will allow us to close our rented storage units around the city, representing a long-term cost savings that will recoup the investment in time.
The road to completion of the storage facility was somewhat difficult, to be honest. We learned early on that the condition of the soil on our campus was very bad for building on. We had underestimated the effect of this soil, thinking that for a prefabricated storage building the soil situation would not be as significant as it was. When the first estimate came in, the cost of remediating the soil skyrocketed the project budget to cost-prohibitive heights. One of the contractors suggested we look into helical piers, which represented a significant cost savings (as far less soil needed to be disturbed) and this made the project more manageable. The City of San Antonio permitting process represented another hurdle to completion, as it took months and brought forth unexpected requests (such as a traffic study, which the contractors were later able to exclude the project as the facility isn’t on a public street). There was also a small hiccup regarding the fire flow test, as when the fence was completed around the campus, SAWS would no longer conduct the test as they do not enter fenced areas, and a private company had to come in to do the work. Finally, through the much-appreciated efforts of the contractors involved, everything was completed, permitted, and approved, and we have a stable and beautiful new addition to our facility.
How will this project help FVPS going forward?
The project will help by allowing for supplies to be stored more easily in a centralized location, making them more accessible to clients and staff and allowing FVPS to close rented storage units around the city. The closing of these other storage units will represent not only a cost savings but also a labor savings in terms of decreased trips to retrieve supplies by our maintenance staff.
What else is new at FVPS that you would like to share with Impact San Antonio members?
FVPS has continued, during this process, to seek ways of improving service provision to clients. This has included the opening of two new therapeutic spaces for the children- a drama and music room and a sensory friendly therapeutic space. All of the Children’s Department employees are also in the process of becoming Infant Mental Health certified. The organization, as a whole, is in the process of pursuing national Trauma Informed certification, through the Ecumenical Center. Updates have been made to the security at the Battered Women and Children’s Shelter, and construction projects are also underway at both the shelter and the non-residential services location to better meet client needs through improvements to the physical space.
How do you feel about Impact San Antonio and the work they do in the community?
FVPS is very appreciative of the work of Impact San Antonio in the community. It is wonderful to have a member-based philanthropic organization such as Impact SA, which provides needed funding for such a wide variety of potential projects. FVPS is so appreciative not only of the funding which was provided, but also of the patient, understanding support given by Impact SA representatives throughout this process. I simply want to say thank you, again.
