Salvation Army unveils renovated adult rehab center in Minneapolis
MINNEAPOLIS -- More and more people in the area have a steady place to call home.
According to new data from the county, homelessness is down in Hennepin County. It's down 9 percent for families and 4 percent for individuals.
This data comes as the Salvation Army opens up more housing for people going through tough times.
For 75 years, the Salvation Army in downtown Minneapolis has been a place of respite. Tom Canfield is an administrator.
"We've seen over 25,000 men come in and leave with transformed lives and became good and productive citizens," Tom Canfield said.
There may be no better example than 41-year-old Eric Logan, who grew up in St. Paul. He was selling drugs, living in a van and got arrested 38 times.
"I asked the judge if, you know, I could get treatment and he said he was going to send me here as a last chance instead of going to prison. If I made one wrong move I was going to prison," Logan said.
The Salvation Army is where he found therapy, found faith and got clean -- but the place itself wasn't exactly clean due to its age. But it just got a $38 million expansion and renovation.
Trudie Canfield, Tom's wife, is also an administrator at Salvation Army Minneapolis Adult Rehabilitation Center.
"They can have a good night's sleep so they can wake up hopefully refreshed and ready to just kind of be introspective of their life and where they've been and they want to go," Trudie Canfield said.
The new 142-bed layout has a dignity-based design. Clients work their way to their own private rooms. There's a brand-new kitchen, dining area, huge rec room. And the military-style group bathrooms are a thing of the past.
"It's not just about the renovation of the building, it's the renovation that's happening in these guys' lives," Logan said.
He is now in college and a new homeowner. The Salvation Army is completely free to clients like Logan. They get all their funds from money they make from selling donated items in their thrift shop.
They have 70 open beds and are ready to take more people who are ready for recovery. If you know someone who is interested, call 612-547-5690.