District 8 and District 4 Councilmembers file Council Consideration Re

Published on September 27, 2023

District 8 and District 4 Councilmembers file Council Consideration Request asking to establish a Crisis Nursery

SAN ANTONIO (9/27/2023) – Councilman Manny Pelaez and Councilwoman Adriana Rocha Garcia filed a Council Consideration Request (CCR) today, asking the City of San Antonio to establish the City’s first crisis nursery. A crisis nursery is a respite care program for families facing an unexpected crisis. This program would provide a variety of services, including a safe and temporary shelter for children, family and parenting support, and other culturally responsive services that aim to keep kids safe and families together. These services create a safety net that accomplishes the following two main objectives: 

1.     Keeping children safe at no cost to the parent; and

2.     Keeping families together.

A crisis nursery is not to be confused with a children’s shelter. A crisis nursery is a critical support system that connects parents to recourses before Child Protective Services gets involved. A child may only stay at a crisis nursery for a couple of days as the parents address the crisis in their life. 

“We must commit to breaking the cycle of family abuse and trauma,” stated Councilman Manny Pelaez. “By investing in crisis nurseries, we are one step closer to ending the cycle of abuse by relieving families in a time of stress. Additionally, they provide education classes that teach families how to be resilient and skills to use when navigating difficult times. Let’s empower our families with resilience to ensure they never endure the darkness of abuse again.”

“Families facing crises across San Antonio deserve a network of support and opportunity rather than punitive measures that further exacerbate their challenging circumstances,” stated Councilwoman Dr. Adriana Rocha Garcia. “We cannot turn our backs on those who need extra support and resources. The goal of a crisis nursery is to help mitigate the effects of and prevent long-term family separations. People experiencing crises should not delay getting the help they need because they fear being separated from their loved ones for undefined periods of time.”