Video: Salvation Army Provides New Homes

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TUPELO, Miss. (WCBI)- Serving the homeless community is something the Salvation Army takes pride in, and earlier today, they received a little help in their efforts.

The CREATE Foundation is making it possible for the expansion of the traditional housing program at the Salvation Army.

“I can’t imagine anything more traumatic to a family than having no place to live,” Grace Clark of CREATE Foundation said.

Grace Clark is a member of the grant committee for the CREATE Foundation.  She said cooler weather makes it  crucial for everyone to have a place to sleep  and stay warm.

Commanding Officer of the Salvation Army Jeff Daniel agrees.  Daniel said poverty is a big issue in  Northeast Mississippi, And he believes 50 thousand dollars in grant money will help solve the problem.

“This will give us additional space for people, and it also gives us an additional benchmark for these clients,” Daniel said.

“Hopefully just provide a safe place for them to transition from homelessness to having a stable home,” Clark said.

According to these numbers that were given to me by the salvation army, nearly 20 people come in per day looking for a place to stay. The salvation Army says with these new renovations, it will provide both individuals and families a permanent place to stay.

“The Salvation Army provides temporary housing now up to 30 days, but after 30 days you have to find something else, and this will be an opportunity to have a longer term,” Clark said.

The grant covers the cost of renovating, equipping, and paying utilities for the five apartment units in Oak Apartment complex.

Once completed, The Oak Apartments will be the only homeless shelter in North east Mississippi that provides a long term stay.

“It will be focused mainly on families but also some single individuals will be able to kind of house two of them together, two men or two women together in an apartment,” Daniel said.

Daniel said, he expects individuals to live in the complex from 6 moths to 9 months before they’re ready to move out on their own.

The salvation Army will help the Residents of the salvation shelter program find a job and a skill that will help enable them to live on their own.

“They’ll feel like their making progress, it’ll be kind of like graduating from grade school or middle school, and going into junior high and high school, and then on to college, so they’ll see that they’re making progress,” Daniel said.

The Oak Apartments will include 2 bedrooms, a kitchen and a living room and dining room. They are expected to be finished and ready for use by early November.