MOSES LAKE — The Salvation Army will be closing its Moses Lake office Oct. 17, but will still provide services in Grant County. Sara Beksinski, Northwest Division director of development, said the organization’s goal is to put more money into its services.  

“We’ll be transitioning services as of (Oct. 17) to a new model,” Beksinski said. “By making this change, it allows us to put more resources into the people in the county.” 

Until Oct. 17, the office at 212 S. Alder Street will be open during its normal business hours.  

Beksinski said the Salvation Army will be using what she called a “community-based” approach that utilizes volunteers to help people access the services. How it will work is still being determined, she said, which will affect the availability of services. The new system will be implemented by Jan. 1. 

“We’ll slowly need to roll out (services) in that time frame,” Beksinski said. “We are reaching out to various potential volunteers.” 

Elizabeth Murillo-Busby, Moses Lake housing and grants manager, said there are alternatives for people while the Salvation Army revises its program. 

“The most crucial service is homelessness,” Murillo-Busby said. “They are the ones who did a lot of the legwork to identify someone as homeless.” 

People who would’ve gone to the Salvation Army can contact the Housing Authority of Grant County, Murillo-Busby said. HopeSource also provides programs for people in need of help with housing or other challenges. 

“They have a vast array of services,” she said. 

Additional options for veterans are available through Opportunities Industrialization Center of Washington, which recently received a grant to provide veterans services, she said.  

The city of Moses Lake provides a list of resources for people in need of assistance on the city website. It has 26 topics for people in need of help, from employment to clothing and food, from mental health services to transportation and domestic violence.   

Because it’s designed to be a work in progress, the information will change over time, and people are encouraged to check it regularly. Works in progress being what they are, updated information will be available over time, as well as additional information. 

Beksinski said the Salvation Army uses the community-based program in other communities throughout the state and the whole country. 

“It’s a familiar model to us,” she said. 

As the Salvation Army implements the new model, Beksinski said updates on the availability of different programs will be posted on the organization’s social media. Contact information will also be posted at the Alder Street site, at least for a while.  

“We’re still there – we're not leaving,” Beksinski said, “It’s just a transition in the way we’ll be doing our work.”