Longtime sanctuary for adults with disabilities coping with flood damage

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- The clients of The Center are among Houston's most vulnerable population: adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Board president Richard Rosenberg gave ABC13 a tour of their devastated facility.

"We provide daycare services so their parents can go to work, and as you can see it's been impacted by Harvey," said Rosenberg.

The Center's location along Allen Parkway makes it vulnerable to Buffalo Bayou's destructive flooding. The Center is now down to one building run by a generator.

"Our program is shut down for now, which means people are staying at home with their families. They may not be able to go to work - it has a ripple effect," said Rosenberg.

Cleanup has already started, but on the lowest floor is something not easily replaced. The walls and ceiling collapsed under the weight of the water, so we couldn't step inside through the front door.

A look through the window shows what remains of a recently renovated, state-of-the-art dental office for adults with limited mobility and behavioral differences.

"They can't just go anywhere for dental services. Here, they were able to get what they needed," explained community relations manager Natasha Turner.

The Center does have insurance, but as a non-profit, Turner said they're going to need help.

"We want to get back to serving those who need us, and in order to do that we're going to have to get the community to come along side us," said Turner.

The Center also has a location in Brookshire which had to be evacuated to the downtown location.

The Center is accepting donations on its website to help fund recovery efforts.

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