The Story: The Salvation Army Builds 600 Transitional Shelters in Haiti
Alexandria, VA (July 2010) – The Salvation Army completes construction of 600 housing shelters through the Transitional Shelter Program in Jacmel, Haiti, to assist in relocating earthquake-displaced Haitians back to their home communities. Over the past six months, The Salvation Army has transitioned from providing long-term recovery services to help return survivors to a level of normalcy in their lives. The long-term rebuilding process has employed more than 400 Haitians as carpenters and construction crewmembers to assist in reconstruction efforts.

Following the construction of the 600 shelters in Jacmel, which began on June 5, The Salvation Army will work with government officials in Haiti to plan the second phase of development for an additional 500 homes in Jacmel and another 1,000 - 1,500 homes in Petit-Goave, which felt a strong 5.9 magnitude aftershock on January 20. The quake’s epicenter was almost directly under Petit-Goave, severely damaging the city. Each home will take one day to complete, with each costing approximately $1,800. Like in Jacmel, the homes will be built on existing sites. Individuals and families who have lost their homes due to the earthquake must own property on which their new home will be built in order to obtain shelter. Families are helped first, followed by single women with children and other vulnerable populations.

The Salvation Army set up a Haiti relief fund and is accepting monetary donations. Donors may contribute $10 via their phone bill by text messaging the word “HAITI” to 52000, and confirming the donation with the word, “YES.” Donors can also give via www.salvationarmy.org , 1-800-SAL-ARMY and through the mail at: The Salvation Army World Service Office, International Disaster Relief Fund, P.O. Box 630728, Baltimore, MD 21263-0728 with designation “Haiti Earthquake.” To date, more than $20.5 million has been donated to The Salvation Army to assist in the development of the housing units, provide 5.4 million meals, as well as immediate and long-term recovery services in Haiti. Through the shelter campaign, The Salvation Army will continue to provide over 4400 shelters in the next 6-12 months in Jacmel, Petit-Goave and Port-au-Prince.

For continued updates, please visit www.blog.salvationarmyusa.org.