Salvation Army closes Tempe location during renovations of new facility
Mar 4, 2024, 4:25 AM

The Salvation Army closed its Tempe location on University Drive and Myrtle Avenue while renovations are underway at its new facility. (The Salvation Army Tempe Corps /Facebook)
(The Salvation Army Tempe Corps /Facebook)
PHOENIX — The Salvation Army has closed its Tempe location on University Drive and Myrtle Avenue while renovations are underway at its new facility on Alameda Drive and Rural Road.
The Tempe Corps will still be issuing services starting Monday, but from a temporary site located at 4701 S. Lakeshore Drive, #3.
Social services will be available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday worship service is at 11 a.m.
“The most important takeaway is that The Salvation Army is not leaving Tempe, just the opposite. We are working to expand and improve our services for the community,” Tempe Corps Officer Jeremy Baker said in a press release.
“From the temporary location, The Salvation Army will continue to offer comfort, counsel and connection by providing family aid with emergency food and rent and utilities assistance, along with spiritual worship services and ministerial programming. Services will expand when we move into the new facility to include after-school character building programs and adult and senior activities.”
The Salvation Army Tempe Street Level mobile outreach team will also be rolling out a new program in the coming weeks that will aim to take its services directly to the unsheltered in Tempe. Local businesses are supplying the vehicle with internet service, food and other supplies, cell phone hotspots and information on community resources. The goal is to have more information that is readily available for the community.
The Salvation Army said it has offered a similar program in Seattle since 2019 and the resource has been “highly successful.” The program helped move more than 950 individuals into more stable living environments during the past year.
“The Salvation Army has been collaborating with the City of Tempe to meet the everchanging needs of the local Tempe community while holistically helping families move away from inter-generational poverty and toward stability and success,” Baker said.
“We are always exploring ways to grow and enhance local services and programs.”