Everything is now under one roof on Central Avenue following recent changes at the Salvation Army.
The old Salvation Army Church location on 12th Street has been sold, with their downtown location serving as the new church. Major Ed Dean said that although the location has changed, the thrift store, feeding programs, and community and family services will continue.
“Everything is under the one umbrella, management, the whole bit,” Dean explained. “It has got its advantages. It has got its disadvantages.
“We had a lot more space when we had two building, but cost wise, hopefully, we will be able to be more economical in what we are doing and be able to serve our community in this location in a holistic way.”
Dean said the changes will help them serve residents better because everything will be centrally located.
“They can get their voucher. If they need assistance with clothing and stuff like that, they can come here and they can get that as they become more familiar with (the central location). They know the services that we provide where the church, it was a separate entity in some ways that a lot of people may not associate with it being part of the Salvation Army,” Dean said.
The Salvation Army plans to remodel their downtown location in the future to make sure they’re using the space as efficiently as they can. That will include new lighted signs identifying what services they offer.”
They also plan to refine the name to Salvation Army Prince Albert Community Ministries, a change their Facebook page already reflects.
“Our other page crashed for some reason as did many others and so when we put up the new page we gave it the new image as well,” Dean said.
“The signs are off the building at the moment. There are no signs on the side of the building. That is part of the process is getting authorization to change, and this way there is no confusion. It’s not the community centre. It’s not the Outpost. It’s Prince Albert Community Ministries and under that umbrella it’s the Thrift Store, it’s the church, it’s the community feeding programs, it’s the mentorship supports services, referrals, that is all encompassing in what we do.”
While the buildings have changed, the Salvation Army’s history of serving the community remains the same. Dean said that commitment to Prince Albert continues to stay strong.
“The rich heritage remains of over 120 years being in Prince Albert. The revitalization is what happened with us moving to one location,” Dean said.
He added that this is a change in the way they do business, but they’re focus hasn’t change. He said it’s not the first time they’ve made changes, citing the Christmas Kettle Campaign as a primary example.
“Our Christmas Kettle campaign used to be done outside,” he said. “As a matter of fact my favourite spot, as a teenager, was standing outside the liquor store ringing the bells. Well we are not in the liquor stores the way we used to be, there are other locations that we are and doing the same thing.”
michael.oleksyn@paherald.sk.ca
