A shining light of hope Captain Joshua Stansbury of the Williston Salvation Army.
Salvation Army stays strong in its mission and role in the Williston area “I heard there is work in Williston. I arrived here last night with the clothes on my back and slept in my car. I spent my last dollar getting here. What do I do next? Where can I stay until I get on my feet?” That statement is heard almost daily at The Salvation Army of Williston. People are flocking to western North Dakota in hopes of making it big … or, for once, just making it. They hear of wealth and job opportunities in the Bakken. They leave everything and everyone because, for so many, starting a new life in the Williston area is their last chance. Unfortunately, many of the newcomers to the area are unaware of the challenges involved in showing up in the Bakken without pre-arranged accommodations. They don’t realize that it is not likely they will be able to walk in to a new job the day they arrive. They aren’t aware of the high cost of living and the reality that there is not a homeless shelter for them to lay their head until they get on their feet. Or maybe they have heard rumors about the high cost of living and lack of a shelter, but simply do not believe it to be true. So many good, hard-working individuals quickly become disillusioned after arriving in Williston when they realize that their situation is not much better here than it was where they came from. As a result, last year the Williston Salvation Army provided 161 bus passes to individuals who were unable to “make it” in the Bakken. For many, returning home to a place 80
BAKKEN OIL REPORT – FALL 2014
Williston Salvation Army food shelf.
where they have family or a network of support is the best possible thing for them. This year, the Williston Salvation Army took things a step further. After several years of struggling to find a solution to provide emergency shelter to homeless people in Williston, a partnership between New Hope Wesleyan Church and The Salvation Army resulted in a temporary cold-weather shelter named “Project Heat.” The program ran February 10th to March 31st at a local man-camp that leased 10 beds per night, getting men off the streets and into a safe and warm environment. The Williston Salvation Army has heard from several men who took part in Project Heat. These men shared that the cold weather shelter helped them find work and get on their feet. The first year of Project Heat was a success, but details are still being ironed out for what it will look like this fall and winter. It will take over 100 volunteers to run the program appropriately. Even though there are many stories of discouragement and defeat that the Williston Salvation Army hears every day, there are many testimonies of victory and triumph because of the “hand up” they received when they had nowhere else to go. Here are a few examples: • This past winter, there was a gentleman who showed up on a day that was freezing cold. One of the Salvation Army case workers noticed that the man was wearing only thin rubber boots. He commented that the boots only fit because he was