BEAUMONT, Texas — The doors are opened at the new Salvation Army Homeless shelter in downtown Beaumont.
All sheltering services have moved from the original I-10 location to the newly renovated downtown shelter. It can house between 55 and 60 people.
The Salvation Army will be serving food to those in need at both locations.
The original shelter, located at 2350 I-10 Frontage Road, will distribute food from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m.
A food truck will be parked outside of the new shelter from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. to serve up meals. The new shelter is located at the corner of McFaddin Avenue and Forrest Street.
Salvation Army Captain Jason Moore said the old shelter will be used to expand services for the youth in Beaumont.
“We try to make sure that we don’t duplicate services and that whatever programming and services that are needed in that area, we try to make sure we provide those,” Moore said.
Expanding services like the teen center at the Salvation Army has been the non-profit’s plan over the past years, according to Moore. Now, organizers are finally able to make those changes to help meet the needs of families.
“We were able to provide that childcare for kids from 5-year-old to 11-year-olds. Now, we’re expanding to include our teens that are 12-17,” Moore said.
Moore said only the sheltering services of the Salvation Army are moving to downtown Beaumont. All other social services such as rental assistance, counseling, financial advisory, and child care will continue to be provided at the original Salvation Army location.