A Salvation Army service center, which will offer social services in La Plata County, opened an office this month in west Durango.
The impending arrival of a service center sparked controversy last year among some local Salvation Army board members who feared it would dilute local donations.
Salvation Army efforts in Durango used to be an all-volunteer effort, but the switch to a service center with an office and a paid employee means there will be overhead costs. Volunteers worried that local donations made to the nonprofit wouldn’t stay in the community; rather, they would be pooled with donations from across the state and redistributed. They also worried that certain local nonprofits would no longer receive funding.
Carla Wood, coordinator of the new service center, said 90 percent of the money raised by its holiday bell ringing campaign will stay in the community.
In the past, the nonprofit has raised about $100,000 during the holidays. Wood said she could not yet say what her budget will be for the coming year.
The Salvation Army’s corporate office is currently paying for her position and her new office in the Tech Center, she said. Wood was hired by the Salvation Army in November after working for Housing Solutions of the Southwest and La Plata County Human Services.
Wood said she is interested in hearing from community members about how the new service center can best meet the needs of residents.
“It’s not exactly set in stone exactly what we’re going to do,” she said.
Her office expects to provide rental and utility assistance, transportation vouchers and prescription vouchers as well as help with car and day care payments, among other services, she said.
The Salvation Army intentionally opened its office in the same building where La Plata County’s Health and Human Services is housed so the nonprofit can be easily accessible to those in crisis who may not qualify for public assistance, she said.
The nonprofit previously was a major funder of the Community Emergency Assistance Coalition run by Housing Solutions for the Southwest, and that relationship will continue for at least three years, Wood said.
The Salvation Army will also be available to help those who CEAC cannot, she said. For example, CEAC cannot help residents with rental deposits, she said.
Those in need can stop into the Salvation Army’s new office at 10 Burnett Court. Wood said she will first direct them to other services in the community that can meet their needs before providing aid, she said.
Qualifying for assistance from Salvation Army is dependent on an individual’s circumstances, Wood said.
Recent drought, wildfires and a growing population have been driving up demand for aid in the area, and the Salvation Army hired her to help meet those needs, Wood said.
“People are in need right now, and it’s a difficult thing to pinpoint,” she said.
Volunteers are the “backbone” to the Salvation Army’s success, she said.
Those in need can visit the service center from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday or call Wood at (303) 918-3020
mshinn@durangoherald.com
Service center grand opening
The Salvation Army will host a grand opening of its new service center from 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday on the third floor of 10 Burnett Court.
