It’s a building that many people don’t notice.  Nestled in the outskirts of downtown Houston, opposite the 250 million dollar Minute Maid Park (home to the Houston Astros), Sally’s House is a humble two-story building with a familiar red shield as its marker.

Sally's House

Women receiving assistance at Sally's House

For the homeless women in the fourth-largest city in the United States, that red shield, with its simple message – "Doing the Most Good"– is a beacon of hope. In 1999, when The Salvation Army of Greater Houston was debating what to name its new shelter for single, homeless women with drug and alcohol addictions, the name Sally’s House crept into the discussions. Sally’s House was a slang word used by  homeless people around the nation when talking about The Salvation Army and it was a name that stuck.

Since then, Sally’s House has helped hundreds of homeless women rebuild their lives by making the transition from homelessness to independent living.  Gay McCurdy, Sally's House program director, reports that women have come as far away as Massachusetts to enter the rehabilitation program.

No commercial advertising is done to promote the transitional living facility – as Ms. McCurdy prefers to call the shelter – and still dozens of letters and calls, from women seeking refuge, come in every week. Many of them come from jails and other shelters where Sally’s House has a high reputation for offering a free recovery program that works. Ms. McCurdy believes, more affordable rehabilitation centers/shelters are needed for Houston's homeless women – a population which maybe is just as large as that of homeless men.

“I have been under the bridges.  I’ve seen them; I’ve seen the women in the parking lots.  I’ve seen the women in the bus stations,” she says.  “They sleep during the day and they are up during the night because they are afraid of being raped or murdered.  There are definitely a lot of homeless women out there.”

With its 60 beds and intensive 12 month recovery program, Sally’s House offers single women a safe place to call home.  All residents at the transitional living facility must be sober for at least 30 days before being accepted into the program.  Women with children are referred to The Salvation Army’s, Family Residence Facility.

 “We've had women who only had a third grade education, and We've had attorneys stay here,” adds McCurdy.  “Addiction does not discriminate, and it doesn’t matter who you are, it ruins your life.”

In order to complete the program, the residents at Sally’s House must complete a three phase process.  The first phase consists of acquiring their identification, social security card, building a resume, and making any necessary doctor’s appointments. Rehabilitation and self-improvement courses are provided throughout  the entire recovery process to meet the women’s most basic needs and to provide them a sense of personal identity once again.  

The second phase of the rehabilitation program introduces them to budgeting.   Women are taught how to effectively live within their means, rather than trying to live beyond them.  They are also offered computer classes so they can begin to seek outside employment. 

Once they have obtained a job, the women enter the third phase of the recovery process.  This is the most important and often the most difficult one. The women are required to save 70 percent of their monthly earnings for life after Sally’s House. 

“We want to make sure that when these ladies leave that they have the necessary resources to stay off the streets for good,” McCurdy says. 

Upon graduating from the program, each woman receives a gift basket of home furnishings and other items, as well as clothing, all courtesy of The Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary.  This philanthropic group supports Sally’s House through monetary and material donations, as well as through social and educational opportunities for the women. 

“Our main objective is to give these women back their lives and a sense that they can abolish all the negativity surrounding their lives when they enter the program. We want to give them the opportunity to once again take control of their lives,” concludes McCurdy.