About Salvation Army – Shield of Service – Kansas City
The Salvation Army Shield of Service was a program located in Kansas City, Missouri. This program supported recently released parolees who were experiencing struggles with substance use or mental health and needed a supportive place to live while they worked through their issues.
This was a residential treatment program that provided dedicated, faith based support to help parolees get their lives back on track as they reintegrated back into society. This program was permanently shut down in 2009 because of budget cuts.
The Salvation Army is one of the nation’s largest faith based providers of philanthropic services, rehabilitation programs and resources for individuals and families. They work with people from all walks of life but focus on individuals and families who have been impacted by homelessness, mental health or substance use struggles.
While they use proven methodologies to help you work through the struggles you’re facing, faith based support is a big foundation of their treatment programs, including their Shield of Service program. If you were enrolled in this program you would have been encouraged to connect with your faith or a higher power as you moved through traditional programs like the 12 Steps and peer counseling sessions.
Parolees enrolled in this program would have had access to a variety of services that would help them transition back into the community and away from a life of crime and substance use. There were programs here that allowed you to work toward getting your GED, getting connected to different employment programs and receiving the general mental health care support you needed.
There was also a strong sense of community throughout this program, and participants learned the skills they needed for an independent and productive life. They were also connected to peers in the program who would serve as a network of support and encouragement to lean on when they needed it.