Our Corps History
The Salvation Army in Columbia, MO
The Salvation Army of Columbia, MO was founded on July 2, 1952 when a small group of Christians came together to serve God and to meet the needs of people in Columbia. They began by serving meals to the hungry and providing clothing, Christmas gifts to children, and youth programs.
In the early 1970s, veterans were coming to Columbia for medical treatment at the VA but had no place to stay or a home to return. They were both physically and emotionally tortured by their military service experience. The Salvation Army had purchased a property on Ann Street with one large house. They opened a house for homeless veterans and began working with the homeless.
By the mid-70s, this house expanded to include men, women and families who were without a place to live. Additional services were added to help people find employment, sobriety, and housing. The shelter’s focus was to help people suffering from substance use to find treatment options, employment, and housing.
In the wintertime, the newly built church, on the same grounds, opened its doors to accommodate additional people who needed a warm place to stay, meals, clothing, and help to be off the streets. The emergency accommodations were cots, but it kept people alive and safe. The Salvation Army began partnering with community members to help find solutions to the problems faced by those they served.
As the need continued to grow, in 1992, the Corps (church) relocated to a remodeled church building on Ash Street to accommodate the construction of a new shelter facility on the Ann Street property. This facility, Harbor House, provided separate spaces for men, women, and families. The building included a full professional kitchen, dining room, laundry, group rooms, lounges, offices, and outdoor spaces. Services included case management, recovery information, transportation, and care items.
The Salvation Army of Columbia, MO will be celebrating 75 years of making a difference for those that need it the most in 2027.