c. 1997 Religion News Service
ALEXANDRIA, Va. _ Despite being named”America’s favorite charity”last year by the Chronicle of Philanthropy, officials at the Salvation Army admit most Americans haven’t a clue about the breadth of their social work programs.”Most people have a good feeling about us … they like us, they trust us,”said Commissioner Robert A. Watson, national commander of the Salvation Army’s U.S. operations.”But when asked why, they can’t give specifics.” Major Tom Jones, national community relations and development secretary, agreed:”Most people don’t know who we really are. They know our name, but they can’t pinpoint what we do.” Indeed, the Salvation Army today has expanded its role in easing the burdens of the less fortunate. And as calls for devolution of big government ring from the halls of Congress and the White House, in many states the Salvation Army has been there to pick up the slack.
In Michigan, for example, the Salvation Army either runs or oversees every homeless shelter in the state since the government there stopped providing those services, said Jones, adding that the Army is”in favor of devolution and handling these problems on the local level.” In Florida, many county governments have hired the Salvation Army to handle the paroles of convicted felons. Last year, about 50,000 ex-convicts checked in with Salvation Army workers. In the Tampa Bay region alone, the Army has 100 full-time employees working only on probations, Jones said. The program is financed through a $30 monthly service fee paid by each parolee.”And it doesn’t cost the county anything,”said Jones.”It doesn’t cost the taxpayer anything.” Around the nation, the Salvation Army runs about 40 half-way houses where model inmates serve out the last three to six months of their sentences. The Army is responsible for finding ex-offenders jobs and a place to stay after they have served their time. Big names entrusted to the care of Salvation Army half-way houses include former TV evangelist Jim Bakker in North Carolina, former Congressman Dan Rostenkowski in Chicago and a member of the famed Gucci family in West Palm Beach, Fla., said Jones.
In Los Angeles, the Salvation Army runs Bethesda House, the biggest center in the state for the treatment of families dealing with AIDS, said Jones.
But like many other charities and religious groups, cutbacks in federal and state programs have forced the Army to provide even more services. Army case loads, Jones said, have increased 10 percent to 30 percent during the past few years.”We think it’s going to get worse, and we don’t have the money,”he said.”Our resources are already stretched to the limit.” Still, those resources are vast. According to its 1995 annual report, the Salvation Army brought in more than $1.4 billion from a variety of sources, including private contributions, government funding, and program service fees. More than 85 percent of that was used on programs meeting human needs.
Said Commissioner Watson:”If we’re doing this right, you won’t be able to see where the line is drawn between social work and religion.”
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