Under what circumstances is someone forbidden to stay at the Salvation Army?

We get this asked once in a while and this answer comes from our F.A.Q.

While we try our best at helping out the most amount of people possible, there are some people that we do not allow to reside or use services at the Salvation Army.

In the past some clients have become extremely violent towards staff or other clients or have endangered people who stay or work here in another way (drug dealing, starting fires, or extensive willful damage to the facility).

There are some clients who insist on abusing drugs, alcohol, or other substances which impact their ability to stay here.  The Centre is full of clients who are working hard at staying clean and sober and for those who are not at that point, we are not always their best option.  Also there are those that can not function within the rules of the Centre and become a danger to the staff and other people around them.  In those cases other residential placements are better options.

In the vast majority of cases we will ban a client for a finite period of time and after that time is past, we welcome them back to the Centre and we will work well together at resolving the issues we have.

There are some clients however that because of consistent danger towards others, are not allowed to come back until those violence issues are dealt with.

While we are the only men’s hostel in town, there are other supported living spaces available.  What we find is that there is a wide range of individuals that need emergency shelter and while we would like to be able to help everyone, this is the wrong kind of place for a small percentage of clients to be.  When possible, we work with the Ministry of  Social Services and other agencies to find better placements. 

There are the occasional situation that we just have to refuse for the safety of staff, other residents, and the public we serve.  It’s not a decision we make lightly and as a provider of emergency housing, having to refuse someone does go against who we are but there are times we have no other option and have to refuse services to them.

If you have any questions about how we handle these situations, feel free to contact the Centre at 244.6280 or email Jordon Cooper, our Residential Coordinator.

Brent and Penny’s Adopt a Family

Our friends over at Rawlco Radio are online with the information for this year’s Brent and Penny’s Adopt-a-Family

Long time Morning Team Brent Loucks and Penney Murphy created the Adopt A Family program in 1988- bringing businesses, communities, families and individuals together to help less fortunate Saskatoon and area families.  

The growth of the program in twenty one years has been astounding! $5000 was raised in 1988 and over $100,000 in cash, food and gifts was raised in 2008.  More than 400 families, including 1300 children, received gifts and a wonderful meal for Christmas.  There are many incredible examples of children who received gifts through the Adopt A Family program, and were so emotionally impacted by the random act of kindness, that as adults have chosen to help another local family.

We are thankful for our partnership with Rawlco Radio through the Brent & Penny Adopt-a-Family  and Rock 102’s Toy Soldier campaign as we work with the citizens of Saskatoon to ensure everyone has a Merry Christmas.

Online Christmas Hamper Applications

For those of you who know if a family who may need some help this Christmas, the Salvation Army Community Centre is accepting online applications for Christmas Hampers starting today.  You can also register in person starting November 16th. If you have questions about what the Salvation Army is doing in Saskatoon over the Christmas season, our Christmas portal can be found at www.salvationarmysaskatoon.org/christmas/ which gives information on events, volunteer opportunities, and locations as they become available.