The Shade Tree, a shelter which helps around 1,500 women and children escape from abusive homes annually, announced the start of its Rise & Restore capital campaign earlier this month.
After large-scale flooding from burst pipes caused damage to drywall, pipes, and flooring in January, the shelter issued a call to the community for $5 million.
Included in this price, the nonprofit’s board chair, Karyn Steenkamp, said, are improvements beyond the basic repairs. The most impactful of these upgrades is likely to be the increase in beds, from 150 to 256, and more privacy partitions.
“[It] will also help us create a better environment for helping these women truly get their confidence levels back, get their self-reliance back, and provide them with dignity," said Steenkamp.
In the meantime, the shelter is adamant about not turning any clients away. While sleeping arrangements have been shuffled to accommodate repairs, the laundry, kitchen, and Stallman Touro medical clinic are all fully operational.
Steenkamp expects most of the major renovations to be complete by the end of July.
More Resources:
U.S. National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-799-7233
Nevada Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence
Washoe County Domestic Violence Resource Center
Washoe County Domestic Violence Shelters
Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada: Domestic Violence Survivor Resource List
Guest: Karyn Steenkamp, chair, Shade Tree board of trustees, and vice president of design and construction, Caesars Entertainment
