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Salvation Army outlines rising demand in Chester, seeks in-house mental-health support
Summary
The Salvation Army told the council it served thousands of meals and shelter nights last year, said demand is growing and requested in-house mental-health services to improve placement into permanent housing.
Major James Stevenson, the Salvation Army’s lead officer in Chester, briefed the City Council on Aug. 27 about the organization’s local services and rising demand for housing and food assistance.
Stevenson said the Salvation Army served more than 18,000 meals and grocery orders and provided over 14,000 nights of shelter in the previous year. He said the organization’s shelter program places a high share of participants into permanent housing (about 92 percent from the program) but that mental-health needs remain a major barrier to permanent placements.
To address that barrier, Stevenson said the Salvation Army would like to bring mental-health services in-house to increase placement success and expand its capacity. He also described plans to strengthen and expand other programs, upgrade the kitchen and pantry, and increase the organization’s ability to prevent housing instability.
Council members thanked the Salvation Army for ongoing services and invited the organization to provide periodic updates at future council meetings. Stevenson said he would meet individually with council members and staff to discuss community needs and potential partnerships.
No city funding commitments, contracts or formal requests for a specific dollar amount were recorded in the meeting remarks; Stevenson said he would follow up with council members and staff about needed resources and plans.
