Salvation Army asks City Council for help making-up $1 million budget shortfall
Michael Logerwell
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – The Colorado Springs branch of the Salvation Army went to Colorado Springs City Council on Monday asking for help raising up to $1 million.
“The situation that we’re in now is due to the increasing needs of the community, and just that, the dollars have not kept pace with that over the years,” Major Steve Ball was one of the Salvation Army representatives who made a presentation to the city council.
One slide from the Salvation Army presentation to the city council.
This slide was shared at Monday’s city council meeting. It shows the decrease of government funding Salvation Army has received over the years, decreasing steadily as COVID-era funds run out.
Maj. Ball says they used those funds at the time to expand the reach of their services to meet the rising community need at the time. Now, those funds are running out, but the community need is still present.
One service the Salvation Army provides that is at risk of being reduced if the shortfall isn’t made up is the Family Hope Center.
“There is nothing else in the entire Pikes Peak Region that does what we do with the Family Hope Center,” Sandra Haley, a case manager at the Family Hope Center, told the city council today.
The center is the only low-barrier family shelter in the area. That means families can come in and get beds in a private room with no application or drug test. Once they’re in, a case manager helps them find private housing.
The Salvation Army touts a high success rate at the Family Hope Center. They say that since February, 83% of families who have come to the center have gone on to find more permanent housing. In the past year, they’ve helped 176 families transition into housing.
“The worst case scenario, we may have to see about trimming down the number of rooms we have available or something like that, but we’re going to do everything possible,” Maj. Ball told KRDO13.
Right now, the Family Hope Center has 31 rooms, but that could change, and families could start being turned away. People who’ve gone through the program say that would be a big loss.
Rae and her daughter Olivia had been staying at the center until this week, when they’ll be moving into their own apartment. Rae tells KRDO13 the Family Hope Center has turned their lives around.
“Having complete strangers do more for you than your own family. It’s a lot to take in, but the confidence that I have now to be on my own is great,” Rae said.
Without the shelter, Rae and Olivia would have had even more instability. “There were times that I thought me and her were going to be sleeping in the car, and that’s scary. I don’t want to put my kid through that. So this place gave us a bed and somewhere that was safe.”
Despite the predicament, the Salvation Army says they’re confident the community will come through and help. Starting in August, Salvation Army is starting its Hope Needs Help fundraising campaign.
You can learn more here.