In the late 1870s two men who had been converted in London by William Booth met in Adelaide, Australia, and began to offer food and preaching to any who would receive it. The first Salvation Army "officers" arrived in Adelaide in 1881. Their appeals for conversion, reform, and sobriety were sometimes violently opposed. Many "Salvos" or Australian Salvation Army members were injured by antagonists. Early on, the "Salvos" began a ministry to newly released prisoners in Melbourne. Salvation Army members were often jailed for disturbing the peace with public preaching and singing. The Salvation Army engaged in a great deal of social work during economic depressions of the 1890s and 1930s. Today the Salvation Army operates shelters for the homeless throughout Australia and works to help people overcome alcoholism and other forms of chemical dependency. The Salvation Army is an aggressive and socially conscious form of evangelicalism.