KILLEEN, TX — The Friends in Crisis homeless shelter reopened its doors on Friday following a funding shortfall in May. The Killeen shelter says that they have a comprehensive plan to secure funding to keep the facility open in the future.
“We are in the process of waiting for grants that we applied for. We feel that we will be funded to the amount that we can stay in operation without having a problem,” said Larry Moehnke, Vice President of the Friends in Crisis Board.
Administrators say that some of those grants required for the shelter to be in operation for three years. They just recently bypassed that mark; qualifying the facility for those grants.
They say community support is key.
Brianna Gray, who runs the kitchen, says that the future of the shelter is bright.
“I hope it goes further. I hope they end up opening another shelter. Because, yes, we do house a lot of needy people but there are still more that need help,” said Gray.
The shelter is a critical fixture within the community. After the closure, many who relied on the shelter services were unsure where they were going to go. Friends in Crisis allowed clients to use the grounds to stay in tents while they were shutdown.
Advocates for the shelter are pushing to ensure the facility will never close again through fundraising initiatives. For more information on how to donate, click here.
