a day ago
Waukesha emergency overflow shelter to reopen after months of repair
The Brief
The Waukesha Emergency Overflow Shelter is reopened.
It had to shut down over the winter after two separate sprinkler heads burst, causing flood damage.
The shelter has been renamed "Sentry House" because of its location at Sunset and Sentry Drive.
WAUKESHA, Wis. - When temperatures dropped this past winter, so did the ceiling at the Waukesha Emergency Overflow Shelter. It had two separate sprinklers burst just weeks apart.
Now, the shelter is preparing to reopen.
What we know
When the sprinklers burst in December, Kathleen Fischer could not believe it. Two different sprinkler heads burst.
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The second happened in February, during the shelter's peak season.
What they're saying
"This whole ceiling collapsed and everything was on the floor," Fischer said.
"How does this happen twice?" asked FOX6's Bret Lemoine.
"It's unusual for it to happen twice. For us, we still don't know," Fischer answered.
Dig deeper
Drywall had to be ripped out and the floors had to be replaced. Crews had to do it twice.
The repairs added up to $100,000 in damage.
On Monday, community leaders gathered to formally reopen the space for the first time in months. It has been renamed "Sentry House" because of its location at Sunset and Sentry Drive. The shelter will now be open year-round.
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The shelter will now only take single adult men and women. Families will move to another shelter. That opened up space will bring capacity to nearly 40 people.
"It feels really good to know that we're going to get our doors back open again to men and women who need access to shelter," Fischer said.
Hebron Housing Services said it helps about 400 people a year with temporary housing. People can stay at the shelter for 90 days and staff assists them with things like work and mental health.
What's next
Leaders say their insurance company is still investigating what caused both sprinkler bursts.
The Source
The information in this post was provided by the Waukesha Emergency Overflow Shelter.
