Salvation Army Ruled Out for Role in Anti-Gang Program

A new anti-gang program was launched Tuesday in Anaheim, but without the involvement of the organization originally scheduled to run it: the Salvation Army.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development told city officials that contracting with the Salvation Army to run the program could violate constitutional principles concerning the separation of church and state.

On Tuesday, the Anaheim City Council approved an agreement calling for another organization--a social services agency called Turning Point--to provide the counseling, crisis intervention, information and referral programs aimed at curbing crime by youths.

The youth outreach services were recommended to the council nearly a year ago. Although a 1984 report concluded that there were no “formal gangs” in the city, it warned of a potential for street gangs.

In hopes of satisfying HUD, the Salvation Army had agreed to certain measures, such as not displaying crosses or other religious symbols in rooms that would house the outreach and recreation services. But the group was not ready to “de-emphasize to anybody our Christian goals behind any of the programs that we do,” Salvation Army Capt. Joseph L. Huttenlocker said at the time.

“We are what we are and we’re not going to change that,” Salvation Army Commissioner Willard Evans said Tuesday. Evans is the group’s territorial commander, based in Los Angeles.

The agreement approved Tuesday with Turning Point is a three-year contract for $94,490, to be allocated during the first two years. During the third year, the program is to become self-sufficient and find other sources of funding.