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The Western Territory’s 2012 National Social Services and Disaster Management Conference award recipients include:
Program excellence and achievement: The Haven: West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Healthcare Center in Los Angeles. The Haven has set a new standard of program service delivery for the Los Angeles Area Command Social Services and the Southern California Division. With 88 staff members the Haven provides services to one of our most vulnerable populations, our nation’s veterans. Each day more than 270 homeless veterans, many with a dual diagnosis of mental health and substance abuse, are assisted. The high quality of the Haven’s services as increased The Salvation Army’s visibility, facilitating and fostering community relations, as well as support from foundations and corporations, and opening doors for future partnerships. Most recently, the Haven has been nationally recognized for implementing evidence-based programming and developing best practices modalities.
Individual excellence in social work: Lawrence Williams. Williams is the executive director for The Salvation Army’s Honolulu Addiction Treatment SErvices (ATS). Beginning in 1982 as an outreach counselor and then community relations coordinator, Williams was quickly promoted to director of admissions in 1983, and became executive director in 1983. Under his leadership, ATS became a nationally accredited provider of substance abuse and treatment services in 1990. He revised and upgraded the manual of policies and procedures, and provided staff with substantial training based on the Commission on the Accreditation and Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) operating standards, earning ATS its first CARF accreditation in 1991, and successfully achieving three-year CARF renewals to the present. ATS is licensed for 66 residential beds and annually provides more than 1,200 clients with quality treatment and recovery services, including residential detoxification and treatment, intensive inpatient and outpatient counseling, a chaplaincy program of counseling, prayer, Sunday services, vocational counseling, job seeking and housing assistance and family member education regarding substance abuse, addiction and recovery. Williams has created an effective team of leaders who value his vision, leadership and presence.
Individual disaster management “Sleeves Rolled Up” award: David Sherman. Sherman is a spirit-filled ministry leader at The Salvation Army White Mountain Outpost in Lakeside, Ariz. Since 2000, he has directed a vast number of program areas in addition to his Emergency Disaster Services activities. He is chaplain for the Linden Fire Department, an agency representative for the Northeast Arizona United Way board, a member of the Governor’s Arizona Regional Volunteer Organizations Active in Disaster, co-chair of the Navajo county Community Network Team and chairman of the FEMA Navajo county Emergency food and Shelter Board. The 2011 Wallow Fire was the largest in Arizona history, burning over 600,000 acres and forcing the evacuation of tens of thousands. Sherman stepped up to be The Salvation Army incident commander leading all aspects of the response: mass feeding, donations management, individual assistance and emotional and spiritual counseling.
Read about the evening’s banquet here.