HELENA — A burst pipe earlier this year caused major damage inside the Friendship Center in Helena, a shelter that serves those facing domestic violence in the tri-county area.
(Watch more on the impacts below)
“A pipe in our fire suppressant system had burst and had released hundreds of gallons of water,” Friendship Center Executive Director Kim Patterson said.
That all started at 10 p.m. on May 1, and staff immediately began moving residents into hotels, but months later the organization is still feeling the pain.
Five rooms, the communal kitchen, dining room, living room, and the basement, which houses storage, laundry, and the mechanical room, all suffered severe water damage.
“It felt like she was on the Titanic as water was starting to rise up,” Patterson added.
Staff says the focus now is on cleaning up the damage and figuring out how to get these spaces back up and running, but they’re confident insurance will cover the more than $100,000 price tag.
“We know that Helena is limited in terms of its shelter space as it is, so to lose any shelter space in our community is an incredible loss,” Patterson said.
They’re also looking at what the flooding could mean for the people who rely on the Friendship Center’s Services.
For the rooms that need to be renovated, they are continuing to house people in hotels.
“Typically speaking, folks can stay in our shelter for up to a year, and we cannot provide that equivalent in hotel stays, so we are feeling a great sense of urgency,” Patterson said.
There is no definite timeline on when the spaces will be up and running, but construction itself is expected to take about 12 weeks.
Despite the impacts of the flooding, the Friendship Center is open and providing resources to the community.
Also, earlier this week, the Friendship Center announced that it received a $25,000 Blue Impact Grant from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana. The grant will support services for clients experiencing domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
