“The problems of this world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose horizons are limited by obvious realities. We need men who can dream of things that never were.” – President John F. Kennedy Many threads in the social fabric of our nation and world seem like they are unraveling. There are very big social problems surrounding us and our communities. Homelessness. Drug Addiction. Loneliness and Social Isolation. Poverty. The challenges before us are great, and so are the opportunities for great impact. The Salvation Army Center for Applied Research and Innovation – CARI - was established to create a “solution center” that combines university-caliber social science research, innovative new program design, and rapid new program deployment and implementation in the field. CARI is unique. It combines the field expertise and program scaling strength of one of the world’s largest social service organizations – The Salvation Army – with world-class, university level social science research, enhanced by real-time field data feedback loops and animated by the timeless values of The Salvation Army’s Christian mission. The result is a working social science research and program design center dedicated to large-scale solutions to our greatest social problems. Distinct from many university research centers, these new solutions are energized by faith in the transforming power of God’s hope and love.

CARI’s mission is to leverage university-caliber research and innovation to create high-impact, scalable solutions and new program initiatives that will impact our nation and change our world. Standing on the shoulders of over 150 years of Salvation Army service and sacrifice, CARI will help lead the charge and run toward the fight against homelessness, drug addiction, poverty, social isolation, and personal trauma in the 21st century. Along the way, CARI will collaborate with and inspire social practitioners, community policy makers, and national and international thought leaders to think bigger and accomplish more.

The Center for Applied Research and Innovation is establishing a real-time data feedback loop at the Center of Hope in Anaheim, CA. We are using this critical field information to inform advanced and academically rigorous social science research. And this research is resulting in high-impact new social science program designs and innovations that are addressing some of our community’s most urgent issues – especially those directly related to homelessness. These initiatives are being rapidly deployed in the field for rapid community impact. Along the way, we are establishing a collaborative hub of thought leaders whose efforts can enhance and inform the broader work of The Salvation Army both locally and nationally. Establishing a Data Feedback Loop Performing advanced and academically rigorous research Designing high-impact programs and new innovations Rapidly deploying these initiatives in the field Establishing a collaborative hub for thought leaders Enhancing the broader work of The Salvation Army

As The Salvation Army’s social science research and new program design center, the research of CARI is guided and inspired by the ethics of our Christian Mission. We are also inspired by aspects of The Twelve Grand Challenges of Social Work, with a special emphasis upon Ending Homelessness. Other areas of immediate interest include Substance Use Disorder Recovery, Social Isolation, Poverty Reduction, Work Readiness Strategies, and components of a comprehensive Spiritual, Emotional and Physical Well-being. Research is conducted by teams utilizing tools such as Qualitative and Quantitative Studies, Data Analysis, Longitudinal Studies, Lived Experience Surveys, and Focus Groups. The placement of CARI at the heart of a 14-acre comprehensive homeless care campus provides an extraordinary platform for the creation of a real-time data feedback loop that will animate and inform CARI’s research efforts.

The Center for Applied Research and Innovation in Anaheim, California is the “first in the world” social science research and new program design center for The Salvation Army. The organization is 159 years old and is active in 134 nations. In the United States, it has 6,914 service locations and a service presence in virtually every zip code. This is important, because it enables CARI to take proven new local innovations and share them nationally across the most comprehensive social service network in America. In essence, the traditional “dividing wall” between robust university-level research and scholarship and “real world” field deployment has been essentially obliterated. When viewed in this light, the possibilities for creating future high-impact social science programs and new initiatives are truly extraordinary.

Collaboration is at the heart of the mission and vision of CARI. The issues are so complex, and the needs are so great that gathering and empowering our best thought leaders is the only real way forward. Fortunately, collaboration has been in the DNA of The Salvation Army for many years. Today, CARI is already actively collaborating with both public and private organizations, including the City of Anaheim, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, as well as internationally recognized research universities including the University of Southern California and the University of California San Diego. For more information on how to actively collaborate with CARI please contact us today.

Part of the uniqueness of CARI is that the emphasis is upon applied research. CARI is not a “think tank” in the traditional sense. Rigorous research plays an integral role, but only to the extent that it leads directly to innovative new social service program designs that can be piloted, field tested and then implemented locally and shared across the larger Salvation Army network. To this end, CARI initiates and conducts the research, and then CARI designs programs to be piloted directly informed by the research. Finally, once a pilot yields a successful proof of concept, the CARI team takes the lead to implement a full-scale new program model in the local community.