The Salvation Army - Austin

Your gift to The Salvation Army provides emergency shelter, meals, and child-centric support services for a local family experiencing homelessness. Your donation helps END the cycle of homelessness by providing children with critical services to have a more prosperous future. Our shelter program is effective. Last fiscal year, 87% of case-managed families who exited shelter successfully moved to safe housing.

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You may be surprised to learn that The Salvation Army is the largest non-profit provider of family shelter in Central Texas. Our goal is to make family homelessness brief, rare, and non-recurring. Last fiscal year, The Salvation Army sheltered over 1,240 people, 782 of which were children.

Not only do we provide basic needs like a safe place to sleep and warm meals, but we also offer support services that help reduce the impact of homelessness for parents and children living at our shelter. Throughout the year, we provide:

Give a child the support they need while their parent(s) get back on their feet by donating to The Salvation Army. Your gift today will stay local and help families living in our shelters move from homelessness to safe housing.

Mission Statement

Inspired by our Christian mission, we offer the resources and support to lift up our neighbors in crisis. As the largest non-profit provider of family shelter in Central Texas, more than 1,000 unduplicated individuals are sheltered between our two facilities: The Austin Shelter for Women and Children and The Rathgeber Center for Families. We case manage hundreds of families from crisis to stability and self-sufficiency.

Needs Statement

There is a growing crisis of family homelessness in Travis and Williamson counties. We are working to raise $50,000 during Amplify Austin to provide shelter and wraparound services to men, women, and children living in our family emergency shelters. Wraparound services include case management, childcare, life skills training, individualized therapy, tutoring, personal budgeting, and employment services. Your gift will help homeless children and parents move from crisis to safe housing. The Salvation Army is committed to fulfilling our mission of Doing the Most Good. Eighty-two cents of every dollar directly funds services to assist local neighbors in need.

Testimonials

"My wife and I, we got together and decided we needed to get with a rescue center and see what we can do to show our son a better life than running from place to place. [Now] we do things as a family. Mentally, physically, and emotionally we are in a much better place. [The Salvation Army] helped me build a foundation. And now I get to build upon it. They're able to give me different avenues to where I can work on myself to be a better person for my wife and child." - Robert, a client at The Rathgeber Center for Families.

"Without The Salvation Army, I would probably be with my children living in our car, or ... I don't know what would've happened. I wouldn't know where to send my kids or who would take care of them," said Leslie. "They called me at the last minute when I was just about to wonder where I should take my kids. We've been doing so great since then. I wouldn't know what to do without The Salvation Army, and I don't know where I would've gone. I am extremely thankful to The Salvation Army and to all of the staff that positively impacted my life." - Leslie, a client at The Austin Shelter for Women and Children. 

Your contribution makes a difference for men, women, and children in greatest need in Travis and Williamson counties. Thank you for your support.

Volunteer Details

We have volunteer opportunities throughout the year for both individuals and groups. You must register through our website. To volunteer in our shelters, one must attend a one-hour training. You must be 18 years or older to volunteer (with seasonal and opportunity-type exceptions). Please see our website for upcoming opportunities: www.DoingMostGood.org/Vol or email VolunteerAustin@uss.salvationarmy.org.