The Salvation Army The worlds most profitable non-profit charity/church Detroit, Michigan

Salvation Army = SLAVENATION ARMY!

Im going to try to open your eyes the publics eyes - and minds - to the biggest charity scam operation based in southeastern Michigan. I hope my revelations may encourage someone to do something to stop the plundering of the public and the enslavement of Americans - under the guise of a Christian-based charity!

Im speaking as a beneficiary of the Salvation Army Southeast Michigan Adult Rehabilitation Center. 

What I hope to expose is based on my observations, experiences and investigations of the Salvation Armys so-called rehabilitation program and the operations of thrift stores as an insider.

I have read numerous reports from various sources on the internet, and other sources, and I empathize with all those who have filed negative reports/complaints about the Salvation Army in various forums. But all I can report on is the S.E. MI A.R.C., and its operations. I am myself, a victim of this organizations atrocious behaviors. Im willing to do my best to ensure this information will also be dispersed throughout numerous public forums, including: the internet, as many
governmental, civil rights and news agencies as it takes to force a full investigation of the entire Salvation Army organization and to prompt appropriate action be taken to correct the wrongs this so-called Christian, non-profit charity has perpetrated against those truly seeking help and to the general public.

What I have learned in my time there is that the abuse of the publics trust and  the mistreatment of all who seek recovery from their addictions is exploited by the Salvation Army locally and, I suspect, nationally, if not globally.

The Salvation Army has two rehab (Adult Rehabilitation Center) centers in this area the Detroit center is all male and the Romulus center is all female. The organization also operates thirty-four retail stores and a number of warehousing centers in the area.

I was a beneficiary at the Detroit center. The Salvation Army considers beneficiaries as clients.

A beneficiary can be best described as someone who is attempting to recover from an addiction, homelessness, joblessness, alcoholism, or any other alienation from family and society. Some beneficiaries are walk-in (those who seek recovery under their own volition), and some are court-ordered, those who are forced into the program by the Department of Corrections as an alternative to probation and/or parole prerogatives. Non-the-less, they are people who may be seeking a way to better themselves and their lives and to recover from their addictions.

During the intake process at the center, the question is raised as to whether a potential beneficiary has a Bridge (food stamp) debit-EBT card. If so, the card must be relinquished. If not, the intake director makes arrangements to obtain one (it is guaranteed that the food stamp-debit card will be approved due to the Salvation Armys collusion with the Family Independence Agency & Health and Human Services departments). It is explained that is how your stay at the center will be paid for, and, very well may be food stamp FRAUD. Because the cardholder no longer has any control how the debit card may be usedbut has been coerced into relinquishing that control to the Salvation Army.

You are then told that the program is not a rehab program, but a work therapy program! And, it is explained, that is another part of the way that your stay at the center is paid for. The S.E. MI A.R.C. administration has the audacity to call it work therapy, but it is actually slave labor. The beneficiaries are DOING THE MOST WORK! Beneficiaries are the back bone of this organization, although much of the general public has been duped into believing they are volunteers.  

Any area, or department a beneficiary is assigned to be included in that departments operating budget and a salary value is attached. The beneficiary does not get a salary, the Salvation Army gets to report a salary, and the Salvation Army gets to cook the books on operating costs in its annual report. It is just another way the ARC can get another revenue-earning deduction which is included in operating costs.

I believe a closer look at the organizations books should be taken by a legitimate governmental oversight agency on a continued basis to guarantee the legitimacy of this organizations reports. I do not believe the Salvation Army would survive such scrutiny

If a person is court-ordered to participate in the ARC program, the Salvation Army receives payment from the Department of Corrections. That way, the Salvation Army is profiting three ways on court-ordered beneficiaries! The organization obtains the Bridge-EBT card, gets free labor and receives a reimbursement from the court system/Department of Corrections. These beneficiaries may get a reduced sentence/parole/probation by completing a six month program.

It may sound like a good deal, except court-ordered beneficiaries are rarely able to complete the six month program because the Salvation Army tyrants always seem to find a reason to discharge these people so the only choice they have would be to go back to jail, or start the six month program all over. The Salvation Army can string these people along for up to several years for free labor.

Beneficiaries who receive a pension, social security benefits, or any other type supplemental income must sign over 75% of said monthly payments to the Salvation Army to cover the cost of residing there. This practice costs those beneficiaries from $800 to $1200 dollars per month, and they still have to work for free.

Those who complete the program and attempt to become an employee must go through an additional three months residency, as a probationary period and pay $800 per month rent. They get paid minimum wage and find themselves in a catch 22 situation because their pay is so low and their rent is so high, they have no way to get out of the quagmire the Salvation Army has put them in.

Should they make it past the probationary period, they become either resident-employees, or they may become a regular employee and move out to a private residence. Again, with rent so high and pay so low, it is very difficult to live outside the facility. Some of the employees from the male facility have fraternized with employees from the female facility to shack up in order for both to save costs on their living arrangements. Fraternization is strictly prohibited by the Salvation Armys rules, but due to favoritism this practiced is permitted.

The different charges for, and the treatment of the different types of residents are thoroughly discriminatory. That is another violation of civil rights.

And in all cases, everyone must continue to attend classes and attend all chapel related events!

Residing at the Salvation Army is not free! The Salvation Army leads the public to believe all services are given to beneficiaries for free! (This organization states this on its websites) And, if you cannot work, you cannot stay! If a beneficiary is injured on the job or suffers from some type of illness and unable to work for more than two days, they are thrown out!

Most of the work is done in numerous areas by the beneficiaries with little or no recognition and no real compensation at all. And, the beneficiaries are treated as if they are sub-human at the job sites and worked like dogs!

We (beneficiaries who are hoping for recovery from our shortcomings) expect to be treated like human beings, not used to reap a profit for a corrupt organization, not exploited, not violated, disregarded, discriminated against, harassed, flagrantly punished, denied our freedom of speech, denied our freedom of privacy, treated like criminals, regarded as having no credibility whatsoever and subjected to psychological abuse - brainwashing...ormost importantly, forced into indentured servitude! Slavery!!

It is really human trafficking practiced by an organization that claims to be opposed to it.

Human trafficking (also referred to as trafficking in persons or TIP) is an umbrella term used to describe the process by which millions of people become enslaved each year. A widely accepted definition of TIP has been created by the United Nations (UN). The UN definition is as follows:

"(a) 'Trafficking in persons' shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation or the prostitution of others or other forms of exploitation, forced labor of services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs;

(b) The consent of a victim of trafficking in persons to the intended exploitation set forth in sub-paragraph (a) of this article shall be irrelevant where any of the means set forth in sub-paragraph (a) have been used;

(c) The recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of a person for the purpose of exploitation shall be considered 'trafficking in persons' even if this does not involve any of the means set forth in sub-paragraph (a) of this article;

(d) 'Child' shall mean any person less than eighteen years of age"

The UN definition of trafficking in persons can be divided into three parts: acts, the means used to commit those acts, and goals for which those acts are committed. At least one element from each of the three parts of the trafficking definition is required to create a TIP case.

Each year millions of human beings are subjected to the trafficking process and find themselves exploited in settings such as brick kilns, sweatshops, chicken farms, cocoa plantations, mines, fisheries, rock quarries, or for compulsory participation in public works or military service, Salvation Army operations, as well as a variety of other settings. Countless others, predominately women and female children, but also boys, are trafficked into the commercial sex industry where they are used in forms of commercial sexual exploitation like prostitution, pornography, and nude dancing. Some are sold as "brides."

Trafficking in persons is frequently referred to as modern-day slavery. an apt analogy that shocks and challenges us. Americans in particular are moved by this comparison. To us, slavery is a sordid, indelible stain on our national heritage, but nevertheless it is an evil most believe we conquered and relegated to the history books. However, news media accounts, on-the-ground intelligence from nongovernmental organizations, and reports from agencies such as the U.S. Department of State and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime create a different picture. They reveal the inescapable truth that trafficking is one of the principle means by which slavery survives.

The definition of trafficking in persons is met by the Salvation Armys actions: a) forcing beneficiaries to work in Salvation Army facilities as part of work therapy, b) threatening beneficiaries with punishment up to discharge from the A.R.C. if they do not comply, c) the goal being to maintain the process that produces profit for the Salvation Army. In other words, beneficiaries are kept in a state of indentured servitude.

(The above-mentioned statements are similar to those on the Salvation Armys own website in the section on their fight against human trafficking!)

The beneficiaries and resident employees are the prostitutes of the Salvation Army, to be pimped out to the organizations various profit making concerns, for the sole purpose of generating revenue for the Salvation Army, the most profitable, non-profit organization in the world!

The whole operation here also stinks of a religion-based cult! It violates every constitutional, labor, safety and environmental law there is!  

The only god worshiped by the Salvation Army is money. The program is run by relentless mini-dictators who have taken their positions to the extreme and will yield to no one and believe they do not have to answer to anyone. Theirillegal practices should not be ignored any longer.

They are a disgrace to the idea of A Salvation Army and religious beliefs of all faiths.

The Salvation Army may appear to provide excellent and reliable service in helping domestically, and in foreign countries, but only when a photo opportunity presents itself, when television news and newspaper cameras are present, or when the organization stages a self-promoting event.

The program here is a total fraud and an outright failure when it comes to helping people with homelessness and addiction issues. It is what it is, A FRONT for a money-making machine exploiting human suffering. The only homeless, helpless, addicted, alcoholic persons it HELPS are the ones who it is able to SNAG into the so-called rehab programs.

This organization does not help the general public, or anyone on the street, it only tries to snare people into a program that is designed to only generate profit!  This organization provides no real services for the public, no safe houses for battered women, no temporary shelters for street people, no alternatives for children who may find themselves separated from their parents, (and, as far as I have seen) no food service trucks for people on the streets. The only food trucks I have seen are the ones that service the Salvation Armys catering concerns. This organization does not actively seek out and help anyone who will not result in a profit. The beneficiaries are provided only donated food (a lot of it well past expiration dates), while the catering services provide first-rate, purchased food specifically for the catering services.

Their oppressive approach has created a hostile, stressful, mentally unhealthy environment for the beneficiaries and employees alike. For example: Employees and beneficiaries (after 13 weeks in the program) are mandated to attend AA/NA meetings, which may be unconstitutional and illegal due the religious nature of those meetings.

Also, it is mandatory that everyone must attend chapel services every Sundaymen and women alikein the church/chapel at the Detroit-Fort street facility (unless they arein work therapy). Also, on Wednesday evenings, beneficiaries must attend a chapel/bible study service. We are being forced, against our will, to attend church services that most would not attend otherwise. That is a clear violation of our Constitutional rights!

You do not need a church to worship your higher power. I worship my higher power every day. I believeas I look around at this wonderful universe I am part of, that this all did not get here by chance. But why is the Salvation Army permitted to tell me who my GOD should be?

Beneficiaries are also required to attend various classes throughout the week such as: Living Sober, Relapse Prevention, Anger Management, Domestic Violence, Bible Studies and various others. These classes are thinly-veiled brainwashing sessions. They are run by facilitators, not teachers, because they are not certified as teachers in the state of Michigan. Somehow, regardless of the supposed focus of the class, the facilitators relentlessly direct all thought back to the Salvation Armys religious point of view.

A number of the facilitators also double as counselors. Beneficiaries are required to schedule counseling sessions around their work and class times. The focus of the counseling session is also mainly religious in nature. Beneficiaries are assigned journals for each level. Each level is measured by completion of specific goals and objectives mostly religious in nature.  Advancement to the next level  depends on completion of all requirements of the beneficiarys current level. Beneficiaries are required to complete the journals by giving answers to questions that are acceptable by the counselors to be permitted completion of the program.

Beneficiaries are told the interactive journals are the framework of the program.  The counselors tell beneficiaries that the journals will provide organization & structure to the program and help beneficiaries stay focused on important issues of their life and develop a personal plan for success. The journals are part of the brainwashing process. A number of facilitators/counselors are also in the church choir and are paid $200 per performance, along with whatever they get paid for their other duties.

In classes, the most facilitators show movies containing profanity, drug and alcohol use, violence and nudity and dont put any real effort into actually teaching. For example, one facilitator had a class view the movie Flight with Denzel Washington. (A bootlegged copy) The opening sequence contained full-frontal nudity and alcohol and drug use. It is outrageous that this was shown to a group of guys
in recovery. In a facility where pornography is prohibited!

The inmates run the asylum in Detroit. Everyone in control of anything is someone who has been through the program (sometimes several times), a recovering drug addict, a recovering alcoholic, a convicted felon, a child molester, or some other type of reprobateand it appears they make up the rules as they go along. Many are the biggest thieves and liars in the place! They run the place like a prison slave labor camp. They confiscate beneficiaries items, at will, and keep the items for their own use.

They allow thefts from the warehouses, only to do dorm raids so they may confiscate the goods for their own use! They are also the first to steal as soon as worthwhile shipments come to the Detroit, Pontiac and Romulus warehouses. (Just look at their shoes, clothes they wear, electronic devices they have and various & sundry itemseverything has been appropriated!) Yet, they act as if they are above the laws of society, because they are running their own kind of society! They believe they dont have to live by the laws the rest of society must. 

At the thrift stores the managers, assistant managers and paid employees are the ones who have first pick of any valuable merchandise that is received from donors, and they take unabashed advantage of their positions. Each store has its own production line to receive merchandise at the donation area, a number of sorters, people who price and tag goods and the people who place the goods in the store showroom. When clothing is sorted and placed in the showroom, it is never washed.

So, when you buy articles of clothing at a Salvation Army thrift store you are getting clothing that some paid employee has determined to be clean enough to sell. In some cases, this practice could be a health issue. Clothing that is deemed to be unsellable is relegated to rag out bins and sent off to the various warehouses to baled into 1400 pound bundles that are sold overseas for $500 each. Semi truckloads of these bales are continuously sent out all week long. The same goes for rag out linen and blankets.

The pricing in the stores is based on the Salvation Armys value chart and the prices still end up being near prices you would find at any other retail stores such as: Wal-Mart, Target, Macys and many others that sell brand new items.

The working conditions in the back of the stores are run like sweat shops. The production quotas are set at unbelievable demands. If the quotas are metthey are raised. Many times beneficiaries are working on the lines and are threatened with possible discharge if they do not perform up to expectations, or to the demands of the paid (civilian) management types. The people who are under pressure (paid management employees) from their higher ups, for quota numbers, pass their frustration on to the people working the line.

And, again, the beneficiaries are the ones who bear the brunt of any retribution. They always face being penalized, up to discharge, because of some employees blunder. How in the world does it benefit a beneficiary, who may be truly trying to put their life back together, to continually face the possibility of being put back on the streetsand in most cases, actually being put back on the streets, because of some marginally employable persons mistakes or incompetency?

Many of the stores are also mini-warehouse facilitieswhich provides the Salvation Army with even more cubic feet of storage for merchandise that is donated TAX FREE from the unsuspecting public, sorted out, picked through and then sold back to the public (If it is not stolen first, or sent to the trash compactor!).

The Salvation Army gets sweetheart deals on the leases for the buildings where the stores are located and the administrator of the S.E. MI A.R.C. was given a store located in Rochester and reaps all the profits! And whoever leases the stores to this organization reaps a big tax break!

The three main warehouse facilities (and many other hidden warehouse facilities in this area) affords the Salvation Army approximately over 500 thousand square feet of storage for merchandise donated by the unsuspecting public. In the more than 500 thousand square feet of warehouse storage, it must be kept in mind that the storage bins used (4x4x4sized-and sometimes larger-cardboard boxes commonly called gaylords) are stacked, most times, three units high (up to approximately 16), affords the Salvation Army the storage of more than a billion dollars of tax free, donated surplus merchandise in 8 MILLION CUBIC FEET OF SPACE! This is not a poor, or suffering charity operation! They put more, perfectly good, merchandise into their compactors, as trash, than they ever present to the public for sale. Apparently this organization gets paid more for landfill trash than it would make by selling to the public living on limited means. This is for the southeastern Michigan operations alone!

The conditions in the warehouses are deplorable! They are dirty, dusty, poorly lit, poorly ventilated and, many times in many ways unsafe. The beneficiaries perform all the manual labor while the employees stand around and bark out orders, stay in the offices, drive forklifts or stand around doing nothing besides digging through merchandise looking for something to steal. If a beneficiary is even caught taking something out of the trash they are subject to punishment up to discharge. 

An enormous amount of perfectly good donated merchandise never reaches the stores, but is sent as trash to the compactors at several of the warehouse facilities and stores. This includes furniture, toys, games, paintings, radios, stereos, compact discs, books and numerous other, perfectly usable items are sent to the compactors because the warehouses and stores are overstocked!

All types of items that are harmful to the environment are put into the compactors. For example:
batteries of all types from hearing aid and watch batteries, AAA, AA, C-cell, D-cell and up to car batteries, paint, solvents, fluorescent lighting, televisions and numerous other items that contain lead, mercury and harmful chemicals that end up in landfills and will eventually find its way into groundwater.

All metal items are sifted out of the trash and loaded on trucks as scrap. Items such as bicycles, steel appliances, table utensils, metal patio furniture and just about anything that contains a portion of metal are sold as scrap to the tune of about $7000 per truckload. Most of the items are in very good, if not perfect shape! Working televisions and other appliances have the A/C cords cut off so the copper wire can be sold as scrap and then the items are sent to the compactor.

Even cardboard is bundled into bales and sold for recycling. Not a scrap of anything of any value is wasted. And the Salvation Army makes money on every phase of its operations!

And, this is a Christian organization? This is clearly a money making organization. Production numbers, and profits to be made, are clearly put before any beneficiarys recovery. Money before helping your fellow man is the message here. And by claiming to be a charity all its financials should be public record.

This is the worlds most profitable non-profit, yet this organization has the nerve to continue to put out propaganda such as the following: 

http://blog.thedetroithub.com/2013/02/08/donors-unite-the-salvation-army-reaches-out-for-help-in-its-detroit-area-thrift-stores/

Donors, unite: The Salvation Army reaches out for help in its Detroit-area thrift stores

Posted on February 8, 2013 by Karen Dybis

 Macklemore has it right: You can find some kicking threads at the neighborhood thrift store.

Now, Im not going to credit a white rapper with the recent run on merchandise at Metro Detroits Salvation Army stores. But something namely, the economy and peoples perceptions of value has made thrift-store shopping a hot ticket.

Granted, most teens eventually find their way to the thrift shop. Like Macklemore, were all looking for a good price and individual style. But heres the point of this blog post (dont you wish they all had one?). It is good to give and to receive.

The Salvation Army wants everyone to know theyre welcome to shop at its retail stores. You are indeed welcome to other party. But weve collectively need to step up, get those bags of clothing and brick-a-brac out of the basement and into its warehouses. The Army needs you, soldier.

The need for donations is becoming critical, said Jacqulynn Idzior, director of operations at The Salvation Army Southeast Michigan Adult Rehabilitation Center. These ARC thrift stores and warehouses are echoing with empty shelves and not enough coming in to stock them. Chances are if you drop off some bags this morning, youll see the items on the floor by the afternoon.

People are being more economically conscious about what theyre purchasing. It makes sense to shop at thrift stores; some of our merchandise is nearly new and theres plenty with tags still on them. Why spend $25 for a new shirt when you can spend $5? Idzior said.

So between Macklemore and the Fiscal Cliff, things have been hopping around her offices.

There was a lot of nervousness as far as spending surrounding the election; our sales continued to be very good following that point, Idzior added.

The overall number of people donating has decreased in recent weeks, an alarming trend for The Salvation Army here. And the amount of donations needed has continued to climb. The continually increasing demand and lack of supply, if you remember your Economics 101, equals a problem that needs a human solution.

We need everything. The clothing accounts for 60 percent of our sales, so were looking for wearables shirts, pants, skirts, shoes, accessories, belts. And we love our brick-a-brac candles, dishes, bake ware. We need that desperately.

Sales trends are showing that 2013 will be another big year for the 33 area Salvation Army stores. During its New Years Day Sale, the chain reported sales increase of 2.5 percent over the previous year.

Prior to the New Year, the ARC put a call out for year-end donations, resulting in a lower response than usual from the community. The ARC reported a 20 percent drop in donors in the last two weeks of 2012, yet actual donations surged to 40 tons more merchandise than in 2011.

While it may sound like a lot of product, its really only enough to get us through one day of sales across our metro Detroit thrift stores, said Idzior. The need for donations remains prominent in our stores and warehouses.

Every donation results in funding for The Salvation Armys ARC programs. These rehabilitation facilities are independently funded, 180-day residential rehabilitation program for adults.

The ARC is a key part of TSAs mission, and offers substance-abusing adults the opportunity to rebuild their lives through a voluntary, short-term residential self-help program. Through these programs, people ideally earn the dignity, self-esteem and personal strength that will allow them to resist the desire to abuse a substance and regain their rightful place as contributing members of society.

Last year the ARC provided essential services including 343,632 meals, 98,208 nights lodging, 78,238 counseling sessions, 43,806 worship/Christian education sessions and served 1,919 individuals in residence.  All free of charge.

These donations fund our rehabilitation program. The facility in Detroit serves 300 men. The facility in Romulus holds 80 women. Theyre going through issues in their life, dealing with substance abuse and different addictions. We help them get their life in order, be productive.

And youll have two new spots to shop soon. The Salvation Army is adding its newest thrift store March 9 in Taylor. The store is located at 9830 Telegraph Rd. in front of the Oakwood Heritage Hospital. And to give some time to our friends over at Goodwill Industries of Greater Detroit, it recently announced it will open its first retail store in Oakland County this year.

The Commerce location is scheduled to open in June. The new 15,000 square foot store, located at the corner of Haggerty and Crumb roads, north of Maple Road, is now under construction. It will be the third Goodwill store in Metro Detroit, following successful operations in Canton and Dearborn, and the first to be located in newly constructed retail space.

Donations of gently used clothing, linen, household appliances, furniture, toys, shoes, purses and house wares are accepted at all Salvation Army thrift store donation centers. Donation centers are open 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. For specific hours of your local Salvation Army thrift store, visit www.salarmythrift.com.

You may read more on: http://www.ripoffreport.com/Search/Salvation%20Army.aspx, Inferno - (((link redacted))), (((link redacted))), (((link redacted))),  (((link redacted))), http://www.consumeraffairs.com/retail/salvation-army-thrift-stores.html, or http://www.consumeraffairs.com/search.html?google_cse=1&cx=partner-pub- 0200629403145096%3A9541715168&cof=FORID%3A10&ie=UTF-8&q=Salvation+Army&sa=Search
and many others.

Just 'Google' "negative reports about the Salvation Army and see what you find! Do not donate to these scam artists!  MORE TO COME!

CLICK here to see why Rip-off Report, as a matter of policy, deleted either a phone number, link or e-mail address from this Report.