Strong community partnerships are key to moving women and children out of poverty. This month we celebrate the partnership between the Center for Transforming Lives and our partner in poverty reduction, The Salvation Army Mabee Center.

The Salvation Army has worked on a global scale to alleviate poverty for more than 150 years. Here in Tarrant County, The Salvation Army operates facilities in Arlington and Fort Worth that offer a wide variety of services, including homeless shelter, disaster recovery, counseling, after-school programming and addiction services.

Along with us, The Salvation Army staff and leadership recently recognized a growing need for emergency shelter for children and families in Tarrant County. About the same time, the agency realized that the homeless shelters they operate for single men were not at capacity most nights. Families were being turned away, but empty beds were available in the shelter for single individuals. Working with the other homeless service providers in the community, The Salvation Army staff determined that the single men staying at The Salvation Army could easily be accommodated at other local shelters.

In September 2017, The Salvation Army converted all of their single emergency shelter space to family shelter. The Salvation Army quickly became the primary point-of-entry for women and families with minor children seeking homeless services in Tarrant County, filling a vital role for families in crisis and operating at full capacity almost every night.

We value our partnership with The Salvation Army and appreciate their leadership in serving families with children experiencing homelessness.

Disclaimer: This post is brought to you by the Center for Transforming Lives as part of the Hidden Homeless initiative to raise awareness of local issues surrounding our community and its members. For more information please visit http://bit.ly/2Ea7AmD