For years, advocates have argued that San Antonio wanted a spot the place dad and mom going through an emergency may safely go away their kids earlier than a short lived disaster changed into abuse, neglect or a name to Youngster Protecting Providers.
Now, that concept seems to be gaining traction from two instructions.
Final week, Bexar County commissioners directed workers to discover making a county-supported disaster nursery, whereas a coalition of native nonprofits says it has already spent the previous eight months quietly working its personal collaborative model of the mannequin because it waits for the Metropolis of San Antonio to launch a long-completed feasibility examine.
A disaster nursery is a voluntary, licensed program that gives short-term care for kids whereas dad and mom or caregivers deal with an emergency equivalent to a hospitalization, psychological well being disaster, home violence, housing instability or one other state of affairs that quickly prevents them from safely caring for his or her kids.
Not like foster care, dad and mom don’t relinquish custody. As an alternative, households voluntarily search assist earlier than a disaster escalates to the purpose that legislation enforcement or Youngster Protecting Providers should intervene.
“The important thing phrase right here is short-term,” Barbara Schaffer, director of strategic planning with the Bexar County Supervisor’s Workplace, instructed commissioners. “Households will not be giving up custody, and kids aren’t coming into foster care.”
Whereas kids obtain care in a secure, licensed setting, dad and mom are linked with providers starting from housing help and behavioral well being remedy to little one care sources and substance use remedy. As soon as the disaster has stabilized, kids return residence.
County officers described the mannequin as one which fills a niche first responders encounter on daily basis.
And not using a disaster nursery, Schaffer stated, kids caught in household emergencies could spend hours driving in patrol automobiles whereas deputies seek for relations, stay in hospital emergency departments regardless of having no medical wants or wait in Youngster Protecting Providers workplaces till placement will be organized.
Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar stated the state of affairs is a irritating one for first responders who routinely discover themselves caring for kids throughout a number of the worst moments of a household’s life.
“You realize that taking on a group out of your fellow officers to purchase system, child meals, diapers, no matter it’s that that little one wants in that second isn’t essentially the most ideally suited state of affairs,” Salazar instructed commissioners. “ However it’s all we received, and as first responders, we do what we have now to do.”
Commissioners directed workers to return with suggestions on how a county program may function, what procurement methodology must be used and what organizations may doubtlessly present the service.
If in the end permitted, county officers stated the hassle could possibly be funded utilizing roughly $1.6 million beforehand budgeted to help Youngster Protecting Providers family-based security providers caseworkers. Because the state has assumed duty for these positions, county leaders are actually exploring whether or not these {dollars} may as a substitute be redirected towards stopping households from coming into the kid welfare system within the first place.
However the concept itself is much from new.
In 2024, a coalition of San Antonio nonprofits approached the Metropolis of San Antonio in search of help to launch a neighborhood disaster nursery. As an alternative of funding the idea, town commissioned a feasibility examine to look at how such a program may function in San Antonio.
In accordance with metropolis procurement paperwork, the examine was meant to assist develop a marketing strategy and long-term technique for establishing a disaster nursery locally.
Greater than a 12 months and a half later, nevertheless, the report has but to be launched publicly.
When requested final week about its standing, town’s Division of Human Providers stated the draft report stays “pending evaluate by Metropolis Supervisor and Council members.” The division didn’t present a timeline for when the examine could be offered publicly.
Quite than ready for town’s examine to be launched, the nonprofit coalition moved ahead by itself.
Now working because the Security Nest Community, the collaboration contains ChildSafe, AVANCE, YMCA of Better San Antonio, YWCA San Antonio, Household Service Affiliation, St. Jude’s Ranch for Kids, Belong Group-Primarily based Care, UT Well being San Antonio and Respite Care of San Antonio.
“For almost 25 years, each time a disaster nursery got here up, everyone agreed it was an amazing concept, however it by no means received off the bottom,” stated Rebecca Helterbrand, president and CEO of Respite Care of San Antonio.
So the coalition took it upon themselves to research why. After researching and visiting disaster nurseries throughout the nation, they discovered that the majority function as a single nonprofit supported by main capital campaigns and ongoing philanthropic investments. Nevertheless, Helterbrand stated the coalition concluded that mannequin wasn’t the precise match for San Antonio.
“San Antonio is simply not constructed for that form of philanthropic funding, whether or not it’s public, non-public, foundations, people, and many others.” Helterbrand stated. “So, over and over, this idea got here up, and San Antonio was unable to drag it off, although they agreed this evidence-based method that labored in different states may work right here.”
So the coalition determined to take a special method, one which Helterbrand describes as “Puro San Antonio.”
“San Antonio is deeply identified for its collaborative nature,” Helterbrand stated. “We’ve needed to band collectively as a result of we don’t have all of the sources we’d like, and nonprofits prepared the ground in creating partnerships and collaborations.”
So as a substitute of constructing one standalone group, the coalition seemed on the providers already accessible throughout town and requested how they may operate as a single system. The result’s what Helterbrand describes as a “San Antonio twist” on the evidence-based disaster nursery mannequin.
Households enter by way of one coordinated community and are assessed based mostly on the extent of assist they want. Some obtain intensive case administration to stabilize housing, employment or behavioral well being wants. Others are linked with emergency drop-in little one care whereas they resolve a right away disaster. Probably the most severe conditions contain short-term voluntary residential care for kids whereas dad and mom cope with emergencies like recovering from surgical procedure, finishing substance use remedy or escaping home violence.
Helterbrand stated this collaborative method has attracted greater than $500,000 in philanthropic help, together with a statewide funder that believes the mannequin may ultimately be replicated in different Texas communities.
The coalition has already begun placing that mannequin into apply.
Helterbrand stated the Security Nest Community has been working for roughly eight to 9 months, serving to households navigate crises earlier than they attain the purpose of kid abuse investigations or foster care involvement.
Amongst these households, she stated, was a father recovering from most cancers surgical procedure who wanted short-term look after his son with autism whereas he underwent remedy. One other mom recovering from a double mastectomy was capable of preserve her kids out of foster care whereas she healed. The community has additionally helped a mom experiencing homelessness stabilize her household by way of case administration and short-term little one care.
Households concerned about studying whether or not the Security Nest Community may help with their state of affairs can name 210-638-8395 to inquire about accessible providers and eligibility.
The coalition plans to increase that work on Aug. 18 with the opening of a brand new residential residence that may add 12 beds to the community, growing its residential capability to 42 beds for kids whose households want short-term voluntary placement throughout a disaster.
Even with the enlargement, Helterbrand stated the community shouldn’t be but working on the scale group leaders envisioned. Regardless of the half one million of help the coalition has raised thus far, she stated extra funding remains to be required to fulfill the necessity in Bexar County.
“We’re not at scale, which is why we have been very excited to listen to about Bexar County’s resolution,” she stated. “We’re doing this work. It’s working. We’re serving to households.”
In hopes of scaling up that work, the coalition has already reached out to county officers following final week’s Commissioners Courtroom vote. The coalition hopes to debate how the present Security Nest Community may match into the county’s plans as workers develops suggestions for a publicly-supported disaster nursery.
County workers are anticipated to return in August to commissioners court docket with suggestions on a procurement course of and potential service suppliers earlier than the court docket considers whether or not to determine a county-supported program.
