Highland Lakes Crisis Network needs volunteers to refurbish program spaces
Volunteers are needed to help the Highland Lakes Crisis Network refurbish four portable buildings. Located at the corner of Broadway and Avenue T in Marble Falls, the portables will be used as a clothing closet, overflow storage space, and additional office areas for the network. Staff photo by Brigid Cooley
Volunteers are needed to help the Highland Lakes Crisis Network refurbish four portable buildings in Marble Falls. Once renovated, the buildings will provide the network with additional office space, storage for donations, and a closet for free clothing.
“Even if you don’t know how to do certain things, we’ll guide you,” Executive Director Kevin Naumann said. “And if people can’t donate their time but still want to help and have materials, we will take that, too.”
Examples of usable material donations are granite slabs for countertops and extra two-by-fours.
“We need that because they’re very expensive right now,” he said.
Crisis Network members recently began the renovations. Volunteers are needed to help with demolishing walls, installing new flooring and appliances, and repainting.
The buildings are owned by the Marble Falls Independent School District and being leased to the Crisis Network for $1 a year for the next five years. The lease agreement was approved by the MFISD school board during a July 19 meeting.
By opening a clothing closet, the network aims to provide safe and free access to clothing, personal hygiene products, and other items for those in need. The additional space for offices and storage are an added bonus, Naumann said.
The network is always looking for volunteers to help with programs such as delivering meals to those experiencing food insecurity, providing resources and housing for families experiencing homelessness, and the network’s shepherding program, which assigns volunteers to help guide those in crises toward long-term recovery.
The Crisis Network has determined that the lack of care and resources for foster children in the Highland Lakes has reached a crisis situation and is making plans to address the issue, including providing housing at locations across the area for foster youths with no suitable living spaces. Often referred to as children without placement (CWOP) by state entities, these youths find themselves in crisis situations as a result of an overwhelmed system and a limited number of foster homes, Naumann explained.
For more information or to volunteer time or make donations, visit the Highland Lakes Crisis Network’s volunteer webpage or call headquarters at 325-423-3662.
