Meridian Salvation Army closes shelter, focuses on community services

MERIDIAN, Miss. (WTOK) - Some big changes are coming to Meridian’s Salvation Army. The organization’s office has already moved to a temporary location and they are in the process of buying a bigger building to better facilitate the needs of the community.

For decades the Salvation Army in Meridian has helped feed people, get them back on their feet and serve anyone in need. The organization’s role is now expanding.

“We are going to be able to provide services like a community center,” Capt. Tamara Robb explained. “We are going to reach youth all the way up to our seniors. We will have a full calendar of new and exciting events that we will have planned.”

The Salvation Army will no longer have a regular shelter like it had on B St. When the shelter was open, they required the residents to be drug free. They gave breathalyzer and drug tests and were focused on helping people move toward a positive future.

Capt. Robb said the shelter only served men. Recently, they had 26 beds with only six occupied.

“We helped several men make adjustments, get their IDs, find employment and move into housing. We were seeing that we weren’t ‘Doing the Most Good’ as the Salvation Army tagline is. We wanted to do the most good and that’s why we are transitioning into this new phase,” Robb said.

Robb added that this new approach will still provide the same guidance and even more.

“After-school programs, summer day camp programs, job readiness classes, interview classes, financial literacy classes, activities for the seniors and maybe even Zumba and yoga. We have all kinds of fun and exciting things planned,” Robb explained.

They hope to be in the new building sometime next month.

Also, the Salvation Army will continue providing to-go meals every evening.

They serve between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. at their facility located at 710 B St, Meridian, MS 39301.

If you would like more information from the Salvation Army you can call 601-483-6156

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