Salvation Army Unveils New Facility

Salvation Army officials in Memphis hope a new $33 million suburban rehabilitation center will help more individuals in need of assistance.

The Commercial Appeal reports the Salvation Army will close its downtown facilities because of the newly opened Adult Rehabilitation Center. The nonprofit has operated downtown for 50 years.

The Salvation Army began in Memphis in 1926 as a program for jobless men. The mission is basically the same today, but with more attention paid to substance-abuse problems that lead to homelessness or unemployment.

Men live at the center while they work their way through a free, six-week education and work program that focuses on work discipline, job training and spiritual healing.

John Carthon said it was the spiritual side of the program that helped him kick crack cocaine and get off the streets after more than 20 years.

"The Salvation Army helped me facilitate my reconnection with God," Carthon said. "I finally figured out that this is where I needed to be."

The organization's downtown facility has 80 beds, while the new center has 125. It sits on 20 acres, while the current site has less than one acre.