CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — On Padre Island’s Hawksnest and Eagles Nest drives, Halloween isn’t exactly quiet. Fog machines, flashing lights and decorations built to startle draw big crowds of trick-or-treaters every year.
This Saturday, one house on Eagles Nest is going quiet on purpose.
Helen Dobbyn teaches swim lessons out of her backyard pool, including to neurodivergent kids. She said even small things can overwhelm some of her students.
“I have a lot of kids that come to lessons and my dog will bark and even that will just kind of send them into a spiral,” Dobbyn said.
So for Halloween night, she’s opening her home as what she calls a “Halloween Emergencies House.” Families can stop in for a bathroom break, a quiet room if a child gets overwhelmed, or a private place for a mom to nurse while the rest of the family keeps trick-or-treating.
The idea started as a social media post for her swim families. Then word spread.
Dobbyn said the break isn’t just for kids.
“Adults feel it just as much as the kids do,” she said. “When your kids are stressed out, typically the parents are stressed out.”
According to the nonprofit KultureCity, about one in six people lives with a sensory need, such as autism, anxiety or PTSD.
This will be Dobbyn’s first Halloween on the street. She moved in last December, and her next-door neighbor is helping her run it.
While the street goes all out outside, Dobbyn said she’s keeping things simple indoors, with no fog machines or scary displays.
“I just want it to be somewhere peaceful that it kind of feels like home,” she said.
The Halloween Emergencies House will be open Saturday night at 13834 Eagles Nest. Dobbyn said anyone who needs a break is welcome.
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