SALVATION ARMY’S THRIFT STORE REVENUES HELP
SUBSTANCE ABUSERS IN SAN DIEGO COUNTY
Major Douglas L. Williams (see photo) was appointed Administrator of the Salvation Army’s Adult Rehabilitation Center (ARC) in July of 1998. This article incorporates part of his interview which was published in the Summer, 1999 edition of SECOND HAND NEWS and Part II which has been updated and is published here. The interviewer is noted as 2HN (Second Hand News).
2HN: Major Williams, how did you become involved with the Salvation Army?
WILLIAMS: While I was in high school, our family was looking for a place to help in Christian ministry. I learned that the Salvation Army needed help at Christmas and I helped carry canned goods and boxes up and down stairs in an old church building where the Army helped people during the Holidays. That was my beginning.
2HN: Did you have any goals when you came here?
WILLIAMS: We needed a new home for our women’s program and we wanted to expand it. We also wanted to renovate the property downtown between 12th and 13th Streets, meaning the thrift store as well as development of the property on the other side of the street that we bought several years ago.
2HN: Is your downtown store still the best store from an income perspective?
WILLIAMS: In overall income, yes. But Chula Vista, Santee and Vista all sell a great deal and do very well.
2HN: What happens to your unsold items?
WILLIAMS: We have a variety of discounts. If clothing doesn’t sell in fifteen days, we reduce the price by 50%. If it isn’t sold in thirty days, we send it back to the warehouse. Unless something is exceptional, we than bale it. Antiques and collectibles could be redistributed to another boutique depending upon the length of time we have had the item or it is moved into bric brac. But the 15-30 day process works for us.
2HN: We know that the Salvation Army has been dealing with substance abuse locally for over 106 years and that it operates the largest residential rehabilitation center for chemically dependent men and women in San Diego County. Has there been a change in the kind of problems you see today versus those you saw twenty years ago.
WILLIAMS: In the old days alcoholism was the major problem. Today we see multiple problems and multiple drug abuse. The age bracket was changed as well. We help a younger population--young people with addictions, social problems and no employment history or work ethic. People who cannot function in the community. We not only offer them tools for dealing with substance abuse but when the leave our program, they will have the skills necessary to survive in today’s world. Years ago when the alcoholic drank heavily, he got fired. He would come to a program and sober up but he had a trade to go back to. Today we see people who have no real trade so it is difficult for them to assimilate back into the community. We give them tools in how to deal with substance abuse, plus lessons in spiritual and home living, how to manage anger in difficult situations and how to develop a good work ethic.
2HN: How many people have you helped?
WILLIAMS: Since 1971, we have averaged around 1000 admissions per month. Of that figure, we have a 36% successful completion rate; the national average is much less than that.
2HN: Since substance abuse is a major problem everywhere, how can you make a difference when your facility only has 110 beds of which only twelve accommodate women?
WILLIAMS: We make a difference very single day. If someone is clean and sober for one day when they may have been abusing substances for ten years or more, when they can’t remember a clean or sober day, that day is a miracle for that particular person. With regard to women, we need to do more. Substance abuse among women is not being addressed as vigorously as it should be. Even with the other programs in San Diego County, not enough is being done.
2HN: We know that the average stay at your facility is six months but what happens after they leave--is there any follow-up?
WILLIAMS: We have two bridge houses where graduates employed for three to five months share a home with other graduates. They all have "honey do" lists, such as mowing the lawn, laundry, cleaning rooms, etc. -- all designed to help them transition into the community. The houses are self-supporting. Residents pay rent, buy their own food and more. There are also alumni groups and meetings. We encourage them to give back, to participate in meetings, to volunteer.
2HN: How much of the money raised in your thrift stores is used in these programs?
WILLIAMS: 86% goes back into our programs, 14% into administration. We are in line with national statistics -- perhaps even a little better than a few others.
