Salvation Army seeks $500,000 from McLennan County for new LaSalle shelter and services campus

The Salvation Army asked the McLennan County Commissioners Court on May 6 to consider a $500,000 contribution toward its $21 million Build Hope capital campaign to build a consolidated shelter and services campus at 912 LaSalle in Waco.

The request, presented by Salvation Army leaders and advisory‑board members, said the project would relocate most of the organization’s services from Fourth Street and Webster to a 9‑acre site on LaSalle and include a day center, men's and women's shelters, 15 family apartments and office space. “One veteran who served is worth more than $500,000,” a Salvation Army representative said during the presentation, arguing the county contribution would support veterans and other residents experiencing homelessness.

Court members were not asked to take an immediate funding vote. Salvation Army presenters said they have raised about $19 million so far and that the City of Waco contributed $1 million and handled zoning and flood‑plain work. They told the court the organization has purchased the LaSalle property and must start site work by Sept. 1 to meet national Salvation Army headquarters deadlines and keep pending donations and agreements in place.

Presenters described program elements that would change under the move: the overnight bureau program that previously housed some people released from federal prison would be replaced by GPS‑monitored, community‑based reporting; a day‑reporting program and classes would be housed at the new campus; and the current thrift store on Waco Drive would remain a staffing base. They described the move as intended to reduce downtown overnight housing and free up Fourth Street property for private development while creating a centralized facility offering meals, case management and recovery supports.

County officials asked logistical questions — including the exact LaSalle site (presenters identified 912 LaSalle) and project timing — and said the court would consider the request as part of the FY26 budget process. Judge and commissioners said any commitment would need to be approved during the budget cycle and that a formal approval should appear in the minutes if the county decides to include the request in its adopted budget.

The Salvation Army asked the court to indicate a commitment or make the request part of the court’s budget deliberations so it could provide evidence of local pledges to the organization’s divisional headquarters. No formal county appropriation or motion to allocate funds was recorded at the meeting.