Salvation Army approves lease with the city

The Salvation Army announced Friday that it had approved a one-year lease with the city of Austin for use of its downtown shelter. Under the terms of the nonrenewable lease, The Salvation Army will serve as landlord to the city, allowing Urban Alchemy to operate a “single adult emergency shelter” downtown, following the sudden closure of the women’s shelter, which was announced earlier this year. “We are excited to continue partnering with the City of Austin as we serve our community’s most vulnerable people,” Major Lewis Reckline, area commander at The Salvation Army Austin, said in a statement to the press. “We have continued to faithfully operate The Austin Shelter for Women and Children, a city shelter with over 80 beds for vulnerable women and their children. In addition, The Salvation Army continues to run the privately funded Rathgeber Center for Families, which has over 212 beds serving any family unit with a child. Along with our many other programs assisting Central Texas families, such as our Angel Tree Christmas Assistance Program and Williamson County Service Center, we are humbled to serve those in the greatest need.” The city and Urban Alchemy will be responsible for all repairs, maintenance, operations and management of the property under the terms of the $1.2 million lease.