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McKenna Foundation awards more than $1 million in grants to Comal County non-profit organizations

June 8, 2023

The McKenna Foundation awarded more than $1 million in grant funding to 12 organizations in Comal County in the first round of grantmaking the organization will undertake this year.

The Foundation awarded $300,000 to the Rock Haus Foundation to assist with improvements, renovations and construction for a planned multi-phase expansion project at the Comal County IDD (Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities) Center on North Street in New Braunfels.

Plans are underway on renovating an existing building that will house the New Braunfels Independent School District’s transition program for special needs students ages 18-22. A second phase will include developing and constructing a community center to house area service providers, medical care, case managers and navigators, and a multi-purpose facility for recreation, education, meetings, conferences, plays and concerts.

Continuing its investment in housing initiatives as part of its basic living needs grant portfolio, the Foundation awarded $200,000 to NB Housing Partners as it transitions from a motel-based model to long-term space for its First Footing program. Renovations are underway at the former fire station on Loop 337 in New Braunfels for use as a permanent facility to house the city’s population experiencing homelessness.

The Salvation Army of New Braunfels was awarded $100,000 for its Home Sweet Home program, which provides services to assist people to move from homelessness to transitional and stable housing. They were also provided funds to help with a mission planning study to assess how best the agency can serve the community.

The Foundation also awarded basic living needs grants to Comal County Habitat for Humanity, Comal County Senior Citizens Foundation, Connections Individual and Family Services, Family Life Center of New Braunfels, Family Promise of Greater New Braunfels, Helping Hands Food Pantry, Provisions Outreach – the Bulverde Food Pantry, New Braunfels Food Bank and STEPS.

“During this grant cycle, we were fortunate to fund impactful work being done for our community through nonprofits in three of McKenna’s strategic initiative areas: hunger, housing and services for people with IDD,” said McKenna Foundation CEO Alice Jewell. “Our nonprofit community is growing and strengthening alongside our community through the development of infrastructure that provides for residents’ needs. We envision a community that cares for everyone in all ways and makes investments in people through partnership with these nonprofits.”

The Foundation’s board approved the grants during its June meeting.

McKenna’s basic living needs grant portfolio is designed to award funding to nonprofit organizations that assist individuals and families in crises with prevention, intervention and services that lead to decreased dependence and improved stability.

Funding areas include programs that provide financial assistance, workforce/employability, food assistance, housing instability/assistance and transportation.

Grant application windows for organizations seeking funding in the areas of health, education, family relationships and community development are upcoming. New and returning applicants are welcome to apply.

The Foundation accepts applications from verified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations serving New Braunfels and Comal County residents. In addition, the Foundation maintains a geographic limitation that requires grant funds to be used in Comal County.

The application window for grants in health (physical health, mental health, healthcare support services and access to care) and education (school readiness, education access and support, after-school programs and literacy programs) opens June 12, with applications due July 5.

The application window for grants in family relationships (child and youth development, parenting support, abuse/neglect prevention and senior services) and community development (arts programs, parks and recreation and development of public spaces and services) opens August 15, with applications due Sept. 9.

McKenna began making grants to community nonprofits in 2009 and has since awarded over 500 grants to 85 nonprofit organizations serving New Braunfels and Comal County residents.

Last year, the Foundation surpassed the $25 million mark in grant funding to nonprofits, awarding 36 grants totaling nearly $2 million.

Contact McKenna’s grant team at 830-606-9500 or email grants@mckenna.org for more information. Visit the Foundation’s website at www.mckenna.org.

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NB Housing Partners’ First Footing program serves more than 400 individuals in its first 22 months of operation

May 30, 2023: NB Housing Partners’ First Footing program has served 409 unduplicated individuals between the start of operations in February 2021 and November 2022. Additionally, the program has provided 19,599 nights of shelter during that time. Program staffers also diverted 150 individuals were diverted to other resources.

The First Footing program has been leasing local motel space to provide services to community members at risk for or experiencing homelessness. The program serves an average of about 30 individuals daily. The demand increases to nearly 50 individuals on cold weather nights.

Of those sheltered, 74% have lived in the community for at least six months. The average length of time lived in the community for all individuals sheltered was 13.21 years, with a median of 3.5 years.

In addition to providing a safe place to stay and 24-hour staff coverage, the program offers support services such as identification document recovery, establishing employment and reestablishing benefit income such as retirement, disability, or food assistance, which significantly increases the likelihood of individuals establishing long-term housing. The program also partners with Acacia Medical Mission for physical healthcare services and Hill Country MHDD for behavioral health services.

The program has served individuals representing a cross-section of the community. Currently, 82% of those served are male, while 18% are female; most females are referred to other community resources. While most individuals served are ages 20-59, 4% were under age 20, and 11% were over 60. Some individuals are parents or even grandparents, and some are veterans.

There are many factors that lead to someone experiencing homelessness, including social and economic reasons, notably a rise in housing costs with a lack of an adequate supply of affordable housing options or low wages that result in a housing cost burden for individuals or families. These community reasons are further complicated by individual factors, such as disease and disabilities, past trauma, poor credit history or financial debt, grief, domestic violence, mental health issues, or substance use. The negative stigma associated with homelessness also adds to the hesitancy to seek help.

“What people experiencing homelessness all have in common is they are struggling with their current circumstances and need a hand up, not a handout,” said Kellie Stallings, executive director of NB Housing Partners. “We want to see the positive outcomes continue to grow. We know that crisis housing and support services are only one part of the solution and that long-term housing is the key ‑‑ we are committed to both.”

First Footing staffers found that 57 individuals were already employed at intake, and 116 gained employment after receiving shelter. The program connected 85 people to at least one source of benefit income, such as retirement, disability or food assistance programs, such as SNAP.

The program assisted with attaining 139 identification documents needed for individuals to gain employment or housing and connected 120 people to housing or long-term support providing housing, such as family, friends or treatment.

The program focuses primarily on serving single men and couples, referring youth to Connections Individual and Family Services, and, whenever possible, directing single women and families to the Crisis Center of Comal County and Family Promise of Greater New Braunfels.

NB Housing Partners will soon enter the next phase of the First Footing program after entering into a 25-year agreement with the City of New Braunfels to lease the former fire station at 4120 Loop 337 as a permanent facility.

Plans call for NB Housing Partners to invest significant funds in building and property improvements at the site to provide a crisis housing and outreach center, including a comprehensive intake process that helps connect individuals to community resources and housing opportunities, case management, basic needs, meals, medical care, behavioral healthcare, budgeting, employment/job assistance, benefit application assistance, housing navigation and planning, congregate crisis housing (shelter) and transitional housing rooms.

The facility will also serve as a cold-weather shelter room to protect the safety of individuals during extreme weather conditions. The agency is also partnering with Salvation Army for the purchase of land to expand homelessness prevention support and faith-based activities, as well as to add transitional housing for individuals or families that are experiencing housing insecurity and need additional time and support to sustain housing at market-value rental costs.

“The goal is to expand crisis housing and support services for individuals who need assistance moving from homelessness to housing stability, as well as to add to the community’s current capacity of affordable housing options,” Stallings said.

Tax-deductible donations can be made to NB Housing Partners and mailed or dropped off at 801 W. San Antonio Street, New Braunfels, TX 78130. Individuals can volunteer for the program through the Serve Spot website at servespot.org. For additional information regarding donations or the program, email admin@nbhousingpartners.org or call 830-606-9526.