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Weblog:
News from the Salvation Army Community Centre
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. Labels: Family Services, Food Services, Life at the Centre, Residential Services
Fall Supper at the Salvation Army Community Centre
Restaurant Inspections
With a fair amount of fanfare, the Government of Saskatchewan has released their Saskatchewan Restaurant Inspection Reports. Like all places that serve food in Saskatoon and area, the Salvation Army’s kitchen and dining room is regularly inspected as is our Emergency Response Vehicle. You can go online and check out what the reports say or you can take our word for it. We are quite proud at how clean our kitchen at the Centre is kept and the report specifies that there are no issues with either one of our food service areas. Labels: Food Services, Life at the Centre, Saskatoon
Montreal woman lends a hand as she travels across Canada
An article in the Saskatoon Star Phoenix about Deborah Hayek who joined us at the Centre last week.  A few weeks ago, Deborah Hayek was eating Easter supper with her family in Montreal when she got her big idea.
She decided to take a train across Canada, stopping in several cities to volunteer, before arriving at her grandmother's home in Vancouver. "When you go to a city for two or three days, it's hard to get out of the tourist mode," she said. "I was trying to think of ways so that I could meet people and actually understand the country better." She began calling people in different cities to make connections. Less than a week after she began, she got on the train. "I tend to do things kind of spontaneously," she said. The spur-of-the moment project took the 23-year-old from Quebec to Saskatoon. She spent Earth Day collecting garbage and planting trees in Toronto and volunteered at the MS Walk in Winnipeg. On Tuesday, she was seated in front of a group of 10- and 11-year-old students as a volunteer for the Junior Achievement program. Her mock job interview for a class of Grade 5 students at Brunskill School sent giggles throughout the room as the students prepared to critique her skills. The students are part of a business basics program delivered by Junior Achievement volunteer Lisa Strozen. As a teacher and business owner, Strozen goes into classrooms to teach students about businesses, with the hope of encouraging them to create their own ventures. On Tuesday, she trained Hayek to deliver the program to students. She also plans to volunteer at the Salvation Army in Saskatoon and the rehabilitation centre for adults with brain injuries and take part in a conversational circle with new immigrants. If you want to join the many people across Saskatoon (and now from across Canada) who volunteer at the Centre, feel free to give us a call at 306.242.6833. We have a wide range of places and opportunities for those who want to make a difference in Saskatoon! Labels: Family Services, Food Services, Life at the Centre
By the numbers
The numbers below give you an idea of what kind of year the Salvation Army Community Centre had in 2008. Our 2007 stats - 6638 beds used
- 67,417 meals served
- 4,055 breakfasts served to high school students
- 3,533 women and children provided with emergency after hours assistance
- 1141 hotel rooms used to provide emergency shelter for women and children
- 228 emergency infant needs provided for
- 4205 Christmas hampers given out
- 2222 people given free clothing
- 219 emergency food hampers distributed
- 70 inner city kids sent to camp
- 113 Family Tracing cases handled
What we did in 2008 It's been quite a year and we want to thank our the Government of Saskatchewan for continued funding, the support of thousands of people making donations at the Centre, via the Christmas kettles, and the Red Shield appeal, and all of the other NGO's in the city that we work with on a daily basis to make Saskatoon a better place to live for people in need. Labels: Affordable Housing, Beaver Creek Camp, Christmas, Emergency Disaster Services, Family Services, Food Services, Life at the Centre, Residential Services, Saskatchewan, Saskatoon
Fowl Supper
 The Salvation Army Community Centre is hosting a Fowl Supper on October 24th, 2009 in our dining room at 5:00 p.m.
Tickets are $10 a person and can be purchased from the Family Services desk. All proceeds are going to the Centre's community programming. Labels: Family Services, Food Services, Upcoming Events
2008 Barbecue at Riverbend Institution
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The Salvation Army Community Centre is hosting a Fall Supper on October 17 at 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.