Salvation Army makes room for classroom space

The Salvation Army Depot Family

Crisis Center recently converted space at its facility in Marysville for classroom instruction and hired a childhood educator to help families experiencing homelessness during COVID-19.

The converted space provides a location where students can access Wi-fi for remote learning. The classroom space also benefits parents who would typically receive mental health or addiction care treatment while their kids were in traditional school. The conversion was possible in part from funding provided by Sutter Health.

“COVID-19 has changed nearly every aspect of our world. However, there are still needs within our community that remain, like finding access to education, healthcare and addiction support for those in need,” said Salvation Army Major Julius Murphy in a press release. “The pandemic has only made those challenges more difficult. We are grateful to partners like Sutter Health that consistently invest in our communities and that show flexibility when circumstances and needs change for our program participants.”

The new resources are currently benefiting nine children and four families

in the Yuba-sutter area. The space has also supported family members who are largely in frontline service positions and unable to find alternative daycare solutions for their children.

In June of this year, Sutter Health invested in Hope NOW, which is a homeless prevention program for individuals in the area who are successfully exiting Salvation Army’s emergency shelter program, Rapid Rehousing program, Hope Vista transitional housing facility or Campfire Disaster Care Program. When COVID-19 started to impact the program’s families in new ways, Salvation Army and Sutter Health worked together to convert a portion of their original investment to help with the classroom project.

The children meet daily for six hours, during which they receive food and educational support and participate in recreational and craft activities.

The program has been operating for more than a month and has seen 185 student attendances, 370 lunches/snacks, and nine family case management meetings.

“As a not-for-profit organization, Sutter Health reinvests in the communities we serve. That means our work goes beyond the traditional healthcare we give inside the walls of our hospitals and care centers. Our approach helps improve the health of the greater community,” said

Dennis Sindelar, chief administrative officer of Sutter Surgical Hospital - North Valley, in a press release. “We appreciate the opportunity to form strong partnerships that support impactful programs, such as Hope NOW, which helps meet our communities’ most pressing needs.”