AUSTIN, Texas — The Salvation Army is opening a new homeless shelter this week "in response to the growing population of family homelessness in Austin."
The 212-bed Rathgeber Center for Families will open on Wednesday. That's also when families are set to start moving in.
"We are beyond excited to open our doors and start providing wrap-around services for families experiencing homelessness," said Major Lewis Reckline, Austin area commander for The Salvation Army. "The Rathgeber Center for Families will provide all of the necessary tools and resources to help families get back into self-sufficiency and break the cycle of homelessness in each household."
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At first, the Rathgeber Center will serve as a replacement shelter for the 55-bed Family Residence located in The Salvation Army’s Downtown Social Service Center. Families staying there will move to the Rathgeber Center.
After that transition, the Family Residence is scheduled to close. Then, the Downtown Social Service Center space will be re-purposed for single adults.
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The Rathgeber Center will not only provide shelter, but it will also be 100% case-managed, with a plan to return those staying there to self-sufficiency. The need for people to become self-sufficient is important because the Salvation Army reports it has hundreds of individuals and families continuously on the waitlist for shelter.
In January, the Salvation Army said there were 234 people on the waitlist to get into the shelter. That number included 81 single adults and 51 mothers with 102 children. The Rathgeber Center will help get some families off the waitlist.
It was built in two phases: 120-bed emergency shelter (Phase 1) and 92-bed extended-stay shelter (Phase 2). The emergency shelter will have 120 beds total in the 40 rooms. The extended-stay shelter will have 92 beds total in the 23 suites.
PHOTOS: 212-bed Salvation Army shelter set to open this week
The Salvation Army said extended stay units will shelter families with higher barriers who need additional time to be permanently housed.
Additional services and amenities include:
- Full service rapid rehousing programs on-site to assist clients
- Employment assistance and skills training
- Outsourced childcare
- Child and family therapist
- Computer learning center
- Teachers and tutors
- Private bathrooms in each room
- Laundry facilities
- Full-service kitchen and dining room
- A children’s playground
A lack of funding is one of the reasons that kept the shelter from opening in 2019.
The Salvation Army has secured $2.3 million to run the center and will continue its fundraising efforts to raise $4.7 million for the next fiscal year to operate the Rathgeber Center at 100% capacity.
It cost $12 million to construct and was built off private dollars from our community.
If you want to donate, visit the Salvation Army website.