The National Commander's "Fight For Good Tour" - Stop 3: Chicago
Commissioner David Hudson of The Salvation Army travels to three cities to highlight exceptional efforts in the fight against homelessness
For the third and final stop on his national Fight For Good Tour, The Salvation Army’s National Commander, Commissioner David Hudson, visited Chicago, Illinois, the epicenter of the nation’s opioid crisis, to see how The Salvation Army works with local leadership to address addiction and poverty in the city.
On Wednesday, September 18, Commissioner Hudson started the day by meeting with local leaders from the city of Chicago to discuss key partnerships including the early childcare and education program Head Start/Early Head Start, after-school programming, family shelters, and substance-use disorder rehabilitation. He then met with a client family currently receiving services from the Army and toured the Shield of Hope facility – the nation’s first emergency homeless assessment and rapid response center. The Commissioner then made his way to the Freedom Center where he was able to hear the stories of clients in programs such as Pathway Forward, a post-incarceration reintegration program, and Harbor Light, where clients can treat the root cause of their addiction, free of charge.
That afternoon, the National Commander met up with a local Salvation Army feeding unit in one of the most drug-affected areas of the city as the opioid overdose-reversal drug Narcan was handed out to members of the community along with meals. He spoke with clients struggling with addiction and homelessness and saw firsthand how The Salvation Army is playing an important role in the fight against the opioid crisis.