CHICAGO (CBS) — The Salvation Army is expanding its resources to do more for those in need.
A new fleet of vehicles called Shuttles of Hope are being sent out for people requesting shelter or wellbeing checks. CBS 2’s Shardaa Gray got a glimpse of them in action Wednesday.
“It’s just humbling,” said Salvation Army outreach worker Andrea Chatman.
Being able to help those who need it the most brings Andrea Chatman to tears.
“I’ve never experienced homelessness,” she said, “but to see someone come in, and they may not have shoes; they might be having a mental breakdown – and you were able to help that person – it’s just humbling.”
The Salvation Army has now added those new Shuttles of Hope vehicles – 12-passenger vans – in an effort to expand its current capacity to serve those who need immediate help.
“What that program does is transport any resident in the city of Chicago that is experiencing homelessness, or at imminent risk of homelessness, to shelter,” said the Salvation Army Director of Homeless Services – whose name is also Andrea Chatman.
The effort is the result of a two-year partnership between the City of Chicago’s Department of Family and Support Services and the Salvation Army.
On Wednesday, outreach workers responded to two wellness checks. The person in need of help wasn’t at either location.
Many who seek help are experiencing homelessness are displaced by fires, or face other circumstances.
“It could be almost any reason someone that needs to access shelter services, through 311, and our teams are dispatched to get them safely to shelter,” said Director of Homeless Services Chatman.
The Salvation Army a fleet of eight Shuttle of Hope vehicles that are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
They also receive 300 calls a day. A majority of those calls come from the Police Department, as well as the hospital, which they say are safe locations.”
“I felt like this is probably the best opportunity I can get – working directly within the community to transport people to shelters every single day,” said Steven Johnson, a Salvation Army intake outreach specialist. “That’s something that’s kind of paramount in my life.”
Johnson works alongside outreach worker Chatman. He once experienced homelessness.
“I wish that the Shuttles of Hope were able to transport me to shelter,” he said.
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