First ARC Campus in the Country

The Adult Rehabilitation Center is making the move from Downtown Memphis to its new home in the suburbs, where it will settle as the first ARC “campus” in the country. The new facility will be located on Kirby Whitten, just within the Memphis city limits.

Making the move to the suburbs makes the ARC more accessible to the men who need our help and will enable the ARC to better serve its residents.

From less than one urban acre to just under 20 acres, the ARC campus will provide 160,000 square feet of service space including outdoor spaces, classrooms for life skills education and computer labs. The new facility is expanding from 80 beds to 125 beds and will have 12 apartments for long-term transitional housing.

Since the ARC programs are entirely funded by items sold in the Family Store, a new 25,000 square-foot Family Store will be built on the campus, making it a vital part of the new facility. The new family store will carry more items and will be in a more convenient location for urban shoppers to reach. The new store needs donations of gently used clothing, furniture, etc. If you can help, call 525-6676 for to arrange for a truck to come to your house or drop off your items at a thrift store or the donation store at 8110 Dexter Road.

Funding of the $33 million facility came from sources outside of Memphis within the southeastern USA. The Salvation Army has not had to raise any local money for the new facility. The southern territory of The Salvation Army recognized the need in Memphis and chose to invest in our city to expand the ARC’s services.

The ARC program is a six-month work-therapy program that provides an opportunity for men 21-60 to regain self-control, self-respect and spiritual strength by learning the foundations and skills necessary to deal with life’s daily hardships.