Salvation Army Salvation Army treats it's clients like dogs Knoxville Tennessee

 I stayed at the Salvation Army men's shelter for about five months due to unfortunate circumstances that led to my unemployment. When I was directed to the Salvation Army, I was told that they work hard to help people find employment and housing as quickly as possible. That was a lie. To begin with, in order to stay here you have to pay rent. Yes, you read that right. A homeless shelter charging rent. When I stayed there in 2015, the rent was $85 every week. I eventually moved up to the third floor and found out the rent changes from $85 every week to about 35% of your monthly income. You end up paying about as much as you would for your own apartment. If they actually wanted you to find housing, wouldn't they let you keep that money to put towards a deposit? The employees, with two exceptions, are the most rude and condescending people I have ever met. Between harassing clients, random seizure of your property, and verbal insults it is simply amazing to me that these people haven't been sued yet. As you might expect, any client that tries to rectify this usually finds that the process to hold these people accountable is a dead end. The cafeteria is one of the worst I have ever seen. I lost count of the number of health code violations I spotted. The most notable is employees and volunteers not wearing gloves or hairnets, workers serving food with uncovered sores and cuts, and improper storage of food. The food served is usually extremely basic and of small portions. That wouldn't be entirely bad if not for the fact that the food is often improperly cooked and served lukewarm at best. The bedding areas are fairly standard for a homeless shelter, except for the bed bug problem. Nearly every cot there was infested, yet the shelter couldnt be bothered to change the cots out and spray for the bugs. They actually expect the clients to do that. Speaking of expecting the clients to work, one requirement to stay, in addition to paying rent, is that you are assigned weekly chores. These are doled out regardless of any work schedule you have, and missing them can result in being kicked out. These chores range from cleaning the building to serving in the cafeteria. No, you are not paid for your work. The chores here essentially amount to free labor. I wouldn't wish this place on my worst enemy. This organization is about as far from Christlike as it can get, and I beg anybody reading this to avoid this shelter like the plague.