Schreiner Department Store to house VA Homeless Shelter

by Nick Bottom, Special Correspondent to NNN


Photo: Bunks are being set up on 2nd floor of old Schreiner Department Store building.

KERRVILLE Aug 3, 2010 - What used to house shoes and dresses will now see rows of bunks and footlockers, as homeless veterans and their families move into the old Schreiner Department Store building at the corner of Water and Earl Garrett streets in downtown Kerrville.

The project is part of the Veterans Administration Medical System's planned homeless shelter, which has been much in the local news lately, with letters appearing in newspapers both for and against the proposal. A spokesman for the VA said that now that the shelter has moved from the VA Hospital campus to the downtown area, "most of the criticism will probably evaporate."

"We took a lot of heat when we proposed building the homeless shelter way out here next to our hospital. That's when we realized people wanted the shelter right downtown. It's hard to understand how we missed this obvious desire on behalf of the citizens of Kerrville."

When the Peterson Regional Medical Center moved across the river, the hole it left in downtown was more than bricks and mortar. The hundreds of people who worked each day in the old hospital were suddenly gone. Restaurants noticed the drop-off in traffic, and several retail shops which catered to the hospital employees and visitors have closed.

The owners of the building are happy to find a good long-term tenant. "The federal government is always a good renter. They pay on time and they seldom move away. We're hoping they'll expand the program to the land being cleared by the demolition of the old hospital."

The new project is a “win-win" according to store owners. “Not only will this project provide much needed housing for these individuals, but our downtown area will once again have a lot of foot traffic.”