The Salvation Army is the largest non-governmental provider of social services in Canada.
In Fort McMurray, we are at the frontlines, responding to the immediate needs of our community, offering practical assistance.
We operate two emergency shelters. One is our All Persons Mat-ter Program, an overnight shelter where the men and women of our homeless community can find a warm meal and safe place to sleep among other services. The second is our Men’s Emergency Shelter which assists men in our community looking for work and those looking to make a new start.
We have a Community and Family Services department that is a frontline service for low income and at-risk families and individuals. Our dedicated staff in this department helps keep a roof over their heads, the lights and heat on, provides clothing and emergency food supplies among other services.
We host Community Luncheons (soup kitchens) on weekends and all statutory holidays.
We are a partner in the Housing First Initiative which fosters Alberta's 10-year plan to end homelessness. and aims to provide the chronic homeless with stable housing, intensive case management and referral to community resources to support additional challenges.
Our START program (Support Today Achieve Results Tomorrow!) is designed to support adults with developmental disabilities with practical life skills to teach them everything they need to live a full life. This includes employment services, independent living programs for those on their own, day programs and group homes for those needing extra care.
Our Emergency and Disaster Services teams are comprised of trained personnel who serve whenever there are hardships, natural or man-made disasters or other emergency situations. Our Community Response Unit (CRU) allows us to provide an immediate response to disasters or emergencies with hot meals snacks and drinks. The CRU is also out most nights, especially in winter, as part of our community outreach to provide food and basic necessities to the men and women of our homeless and near homeless community.
Our Thrift Store offers quality used clothing and household items at reasonable prices. It also supplies clothing, towels and blankets to the patrons of our shelters. Funds raised from the sales help cover the operating costs of these and other facilities, programs and services.
If you removed The Salvation Army from Fort McMurray, it would cost $15.6 million to replace our programs and services. (Halo Canada Project 2017)
