Red Shield Services Expands
Salvation Army of Metro Atlanta has Broken Ground on Expansion of Red Shield Services Shelter
ATLANTA - The Salvation Army Metro Atlanta Area Command has broken ground on a $37 million expansion of the organization’s Red Shield Services shelter located in the heart of downtown Atlanta, two blocks from Georgia Aquarium. The shelter will be rebranded into the Center of Hope to better communicate The Salvation Army’s holistic approach to serving those in the Atlanta area who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Construction began in July 2024 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2025.
The expansion will include a five-story tower addition to the existing facility, which will double the square footage of its shelter space to more than 90,000 square feet and will add 116 beds, increasing the total capacity to 437 beds to house men, women, and families experiencing homelessness. It will also house a new Education & Workforce Development Center.
Two of the floors will be reserved specifically for Veterans, providing them private, two-bedroom suites. The Salvation Army of Metro Atlanta’s veteran programs serve our former service men and women for up to two full years while case managers work with clients to find permanent housing, obtain benefits, and secure job training and employment.
The Education & Workforce Development Center will provide clients experiencing homelessness as well as the surrounding community with the opportunity to gain basic skills that will enhance their employability and economic mobility. Courses will include literacy and GED, vocational training and certification, and associate degree programs, as well as job placement services.
During construction, The Salvation Army’s Red Shield Services shelter will continue to operate at full capacity. When the new tower opens, it will house single men and veteran clients. The space occupied by men and veterans will be available for single women and families. The goal is to offer clients more dignity, and to serve them holistically; giving everyone additional space and privacy and the tools they need as they work toward their goals of housing stability and self-sufficiency.
The new tower will add flexible housing solutions that can change with Atlanta’s ever-changing population. As the needs of Atlanta’s unhoused population shift, the Center of Hope will easily be able to pivot to serve those most in need.
This construction project is funded by a $37 million capital campaign still in progress that will provide for construction and furnishing of the building ($33 million) and also support increased operating costs associated with this expansion of The Salvation Army of Metro Atlanta’s services ($4 million).
# # #