Living for most of my life a few blocks from Lubbock's Salvation Army, I can assure you there was a time when they were very busy. Recently, though, they have fallen on hard times.
"Hard times" for a charity means they are no onger relevant, and are about to be dropped from United Way funding.
The S.A. soup kitchen has been almost entirely supplanted by St. Benedicts, and the chronically homeless have been out of the S.A. system for a long time. They do get some few drop-ins for a night or two stay, mostly travelers who come by vehicle.
Facing extinction, Lubbock's S.A. has been desparate to come up with a function that justifies their continued existence. They hit on a step program for reintroducing the homeless into society.
Naturally, this is not done with the facilities they now have. There has to be a building program. Which gives the Salavtion Army's paid administrators job security, for a while. That being the purpose of charities in general: salaries for the higher ups. Charity, if any, is wholly secondary. It's sad to see the venerable S.A. playing this game with donated funds.
We'll see how it all works out. I myself am quite dubious. You don't end homelessness. Not entirely, and never for some. I don't even think it ought to be a goal.
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