Austin Salvation Army

The Salvation Army began as a street ministry by William Booth in England in 1865 and came to Austin in 1889, holding the first meetings in downtown Austin on Congress Avenue. The Salvation Army is an international evangelical Christian Bible-based movement that believes physical, emotional and social support is essential to spiritual rebirth. The Salvation Army is the largest source for emergency shelter in Central Texas including the Austin Shelter for Women and Children and also provides services such as residential drug and alcohol recovery, individual rehabilitation, emergency disaster relief, employment services, community development, advocacy, summer camps and help for seniors and missing persons. The ministry of the Salvation Army is supported by Salvation Army Thrift stores offering donated used goods for sale, direct donations and fund raising events such as golf tournaments and the Christmas time “Red Kettle” where volunteers ring bells and accept donations from passersby at shopping malls and other locations.