NORCROSS, Ga. — An emergency homeless shelter in Gwinnett County has closed its doors temporarily because of water damage from burst pipes on Christmas Day.
The shelter and assessment center at HomeFirst Gwinnett in Norcross has flooded floors and a collapsed ceiling.
It could be weeks until staff and families are able to return.
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Brandee Thomas, who runs the shelter, told Channel 2′s Matt Johnson that the facility has 20 beds and is the only emergency shelter in the county.
“You never want to take a resource offline but unfortunately that’s where we are,” Thomas said.
Thomas said she was able to find places for the women and children at the shelter while the repairs get underway.
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Still, the assessment center, which offers resources for housing, jobs and other needs, is also affected.
“We get calls and applications, hundreds every week, so this is going to impact a lot of people,” Thomas said.
The organization is taking applications for help on their website and doing their best to help individuals remotely.
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