More on The Salvation Army

Alright, so last Sunday, the Telegram published a lengthy, front-page story (in partnership with the New England Center for Investigative Reporting at Boston University), about the local Salvation Army. The article focuses on the house that the army provides for Majors. Michael J. and Carol Ann Copeland, who lead the Worcester center. The Salvation Army purchased the house for $350,000[1].
It's a nice house in a nice area, about a quarter mile from where we live. It is, as Major Copeland described, "... a place where you can kind of get away from things, recoup. So when you come back you're renewed and refreshed."
The major goes on to say, "Because of some of the people we deal with, often we're not sure of their backgrounds. We certainly don't want to be so accessible that somebody shows up on our front door in the middle of the night."
We're also not far from the state police barracks. One time, a few years ago, one of our neighbors came running to our door, exclaiming "A Puerto Rican escaped from the state police barracks." That's a rare event. The area is generally very quiet and, well, white.
I don't begrudge anyone finding a good, safe place to live, nor do I think that it's a problem that the Salvation Army provides housing to its key employees. Churches have provided parsonages to their clergy for centuries. That's fine.
Similarly, I have seen the good works of the Salvation Army. They do the hard work that most of us would never dream of doing.
One aspect, though, is problematic. The Telegram story reports that "the $350,000 colonial was the only suitable house he could find in a good school district after more than a year of looking. The major said that city schools are not acceptable for the children of Salvation Army officers."
It's nice that the town gets a shout-out for its schools, but it shows little support for the schools where the children of Army's clientèle must attend.
And, then, the former mayor jumps in with a barrage of bad facts and misdirected anger.

From Salvation Army « The Official Blog of The Jordan Levy Show

1. See Its vs. it's: avoiding dorky grammar mistakes
2. The Salvation Army of Worcester has annual budget of $5 million. Because The Salvation Army is a religious organization, it is exempt from filing detailed IRS Form 990, so budget information is not generally available to the public. The 2009 report is here.
3. AskOxford: When should I use 'less', and when should I use 'fewer'?
4. The Salvation Army states in its annual report that "Eighty-two cents of every dollar spent, or $2.5 billion, went toward program services; the remainder was accounted for by management and general expenses of $375 million and by fundraising costs of $169 million." That's about 18% for overhead. The Better Business Bureau reported that, in 2006, 16% was spent on overhead Charity Review of Salvation Army (National Corporation). 

All the facts, indeed.