USING the services of the Salvation Army can save you money, while your patronage gives others a chance at rehabilitation and finding the purpose that comes with gainful employment. It may be one of the best ways to give and receive at the same time.

The Salvation Army, which operates for the social betterment of the poor, enables public and private philantrophy to attract monetary support for its work with the needy. The Army has developed a number of initiatives geared at reforming and rehabilitating its subjects, in the meantime earning a small income to continue its activities. Among the various efforts is a daily car wash service, computer, electronic repairs and furniture repairs services.

The Army operates in practical, skilled and cost-effective ways, which is good for them and even better for the prudent spender. Getting your car washed and detailed at the Salvation Army on Lyndhurst Road will cost you just about as much as if you did it yourself. At $250, the cost to wash and detail your vehicle is just a fraction of what you would pay at another car wash which can charge up to $700 for similar services. And if you take items of clothing and other donations to them, you can access the service for half the price.

Captain Derick Miller, the officer in charge of the Salvation Army on Lyndhurst Road, Kingston, said the car wash charge is minimal for a reason.

“We have a tendency at the PULL Salvation Army either to have things at an absolutely minimal cost or at no cost at all,” he said. “The simple reason for that is that we want to attract as many clients as possible,” he told Sunday Finance.

Miller said the car wash programme is done in an effort to support the rehabilitation of some residents of the Salvation Army who are part of the substance abuse programme there. The 20 men involved in the rehabilitation programme are given various activities, according to the level of rehabilitation they have undergone. Those who are involved in the car wash programme are at the end of the residential therapy. Miller stressed that the programme creates employment for the men involved and gives them the opportunity to work and take satisfaction from what they are doing.

Sochi Morris Green, one of the men involved in the programme, said working at the car wash gives him a sense of purpose.

“I just work because I need to rehabilitate myself. I need to know what it is to work for myself. I find out that anything I need I have to work for it,” he told Sunday Finance, when our news team visited the Salvation Army premises last week.

Green, who is from Cuba, added: “It helps me a lot. It helps me to be honest to myself.”

Others, such as Ferron Boothe, and Paul Wellington, utilise skills they learned before going into the programme to earn money for themselves and the institution. Boothe, who is 53 years old, has already completed rehabilitation. He repairs and refurbishes computers for as little as $1,500. He says a refurbished computer with the latest software can be purchased for $10,000 to $15,000 at the Salvation Army.

“We also take donations of computers whether they are working or not working,” he explained. It is these old computers that he repairs for the use of the Salvation Army, or for resale to clients. Boothe explained he will also use parts from these computers to repair the ones that are brought in. Because the computers are donated, the cost for parts is minimal, therefore the repair costs are also minimal.

“Whatever the type of work, I believe he can handle it, he is that good,” Miller said of Boothe’s work.

Boothe said he has been working with computers since the 1980s.

“Over the years I’ve had my ups and downs and I ended up here,” he said.

Wellington, at 35, has completed two months in rehab. He repairs electronics. During our news team’s visit, Wellington was working on a fan and a television set.

He said he is capable of repairing almost any electrical item and plans to teach others his skill.

“What I am doing, I’m trying to get as much (appliances) as possible to teach the other people,” he said. Again, the cost for repair hovers around $1500 and may vary depending on the nature of the repair. Wellington noted that the cost can be lower if he has parts which are from donated items, or if the client takes his own replacement parts with him for the service.

Miller said the money earned from the venture is put to good use.

“Those monies go back into getting material to do the same things over again and to supporting the rehabilitation process that is free of charge.” He said that clients should not be concerned about their interaction with the men.

“The society has a tendency to stigmatise the drug user but the drug user who has gone through the process and has reached this part of the programme is a person who we are sure would not interfere with anything that does not belong to him,” Miller said.

The car wash opens Monday to Friday from 9 am to 4 pm. Other services can be accessed at similar times during the week.