Programs and Services

The Salvation Army is the largest and most comprehensive homeless shelter in the area serving eight counties including Richmond, Columbia, Aiken, Lincoln, McDuffie, Warren, Glascock, Burke and Jefferson. Our administrative hours are Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 pm. The shelter is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and houses an average of 118 residents nightly, with 14 of those being children! An extensive range of programs and services include:

» Homeless & Emergency Shelter » Substance Abuse Rehabilitation » Step Out » Enterprise Team » Meals » Disaster Aid & Emergency Relief » Christmas Assistance » Summer Camp Program » After School Program

» Food Assistance » Clothing Assistance » Home Search » Project Share » Health Center » Prescriptions » Nursing Home & Institutional Visitation » Feeding Spiritual Needs

Homeless & Emergency Shelter

The Salvation Army provides shelter for men, women and children in need. The Emergency Lodge for transient men is open nightly with check-in from 6:30-8:30 p.m. With 42 beds, it sleeps an average of 65 men per night. Beds are first-come, first-served while the overflow receives mats. The Family & Women's Shelters are short-term residency shelters. The average stay for these two shelters is 30 days. The family shelter sleeps 30 and the women's shelter sleeps 10. Residents in the family and women's shelters work with our Social Services Supervisor on a daily basis to address their needs.

Substance Abuse Rehabilitation

The Salvation Army's TEAM program, a residential drug and alcohol treatment center, helps men recovering from alcohol or substance abuse regain a productive lifestyle. The program involves individual and group counseling, work therapy, religious instruction and custom rehabilitation assistance designed to meet individual needs at no cost to the participant. This program is a long-term residency program with 35 beds. Men who successfully complete the program are in residence for up to nine months. The TEAM program also has a probation & parole component with 10 beds reserved for referrals from the Department of Corrections.

Step Out

Graduates of our substance abuse program receive re-entry counseling, life-skills training, assistance with job and home search, and fundamental needs including groceries, clothing, and essential furniture in order to better prepare them for a successful re-entry into society.

Enterprise Team

Homeless and "at-risk" clients are provided job and life-skills training in a hands-on educational environment. Managed by The Salvation Army, this program unites many of Augusta's non-profit services into a minimum six-month program providing job skills, financial literacy, ethical and professional behavior, GED and professional certifications, computer skills and even a business simulation program. Students in the program are screened and referred through The Salvation Army's emergency shelter and partner agencies. Designed to take men from homelessness to self-sufficiency, graduates are referred to the CSRA EOA for on-going case management and are eligible for transitional and permanent home placement.

Meals

The Salvation Army's kitchen serves an average of 373 meals a day, 365 days a year. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served to all individuals and families residing in our shelter, and our community soup line is open to the public every evening at 5:30 p.m. 

Disaster Aid & Emergency Relief

Able to assist families who have experienced a loss of their home due to fire, flood or other natural disasters, The Salvation Army provides temporary food and shelter, as well as replacement household furnishings, appliances, clothing and food. In times of major disaster emergencies, The Salvation Army provides on-site relief through mobile kitchens, distribution centers (food, cleaning supplies, clothing, etc.), social services (emergency housing), and counseling for victims.

Christmas Assistance

Each year, The Salvation Army helps people in need by providing toys, coats, groceries, stocking stuffers and gift bags at its annual Christmas Toy Shop. We also provide gifts and groceries to several other service agencies to help their clients, while the League of Mercy team visits and delivers gifts to thousands of hospital and nursing home patients, shut-ins and in-mates. The Salvation Army assisted 4,167 families and 15,502 individuals in 2005.

Summer Camp Program

The Salvation Army offers local, underprivileged youths the opportunity to attend summer camp. Through education, recreation, music and service activities, kids get a chance to break out of a cycle of hardship and despair. In addition to the local, summer-long day camp, underprivileged youth are given an opportunity to attend our week-long camp located in Jasper, Georgia. For these kids, camp is an experience that most carry with them the rest of their lives. The Augusta Corps sends 30 children to camp each year at no expense to their families.

After School Program

Tutoring, recreation and service activities are offered to the youth attending our after school program, SAFE Harbor. Held at The Salvation Army's church facility on 2020 Gardner Street, students are provided a safe environment to learn and engage in recreation during the after school hours in which crime rates soar.

Food Assistance

The Salvation Army Food Pantry allows low-income families in need to receive groceries every three months, as a supplement, if they are not receiving Food Stamps.

Clothing Assistance

Every Thursday during normal office hours, clothing assistance is available to low-income families or individuals in need through vouchers redeemable at any Salvation Army Thrift Store. In addition, emergency needs for clothing can be met at any time Monday through  Friday.

Home Search

Transportation and search services are available to aid in finding affordable housing for anyone in emergency shelter.

Project Share

A partnership between The Salvation Army and Georgia Power allows neighbors to help neighbors by matching community contributions dollar for dollar. Funds are utilized by local individuals and families for rent and utility assistance. Project Share applications are taken by phone (826-7937) Monday  through  Friday from 9-11 a.m. Cases are served during regular business hours.

Health Center

A free health clinic with full services for the homeless and uninsured, The St. Vincent De Paul Health Center operates Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Health services are provided by a nurse practitioner, an outreach nurse and a clinical assistant. On Thursdays from 6:30-9 p.m., services are provided by the Medical College of Georgia. Follow-up visits and prescriptions are available with referrals for more serious medical conditions.

Prescriptions

In coordination with the Health Center, emergency prescription services are provided for individuals in need of items such as insulin, cardiac medications and other critical drugs.

Nursing Home & Institutional Visitation

The Salvation Army's League of Mercy visits sick and hospitalized patients, elderly shut-ins, incarcerated and other institutionalized individuals to provide comfort and cheer. More than 670 people at 16 various institutions are visited every month.

Feeding Spiritual Needs

Not only does The Salvation Army care for the physical needs of individuals, we also stand ready to assist with their spiritual needs. The Salvation Army is a church with a full range of ministries and activities designed to develop spiritual well being and Christian maturity. Our Worship Center is located at 2020 Gardner St., Augusta, Ga.