Taking a hot shower after a rough day is a game changer but for many people without housing they could have long stretches without them. One local nonprofit is attempting to change that with new mobile showers that will travel across Northern Virginia and D.C.
鈥淲e talk to individuals who haven’t had showers in five weeks, in two months,鈥� said Sylisa Lambert-Woodard, the president and CEO of Pathway Homes.
The Mobile Outreach Unit is a retrofitted trailer with three full private bathrooms complete with hot showers that people who are homeless can use. One of the bathrooms is fully wheelchair accessible.
鈥淚t’s not just the shower,鈥� Lambert-Woodard said. 鈥淭he shower is the entree. It’s a way of being able to engage individuals. It’s an opportunity for individuals to engage, to research, receive services, and ultimately restore their own hope and dignity through health and hygiene.鈥�
According to Pathway Homes, only two of the 41 homeless shelters in Northern Virginia offer drop-in shower services for people not living in the shelter. Lambert-Woodard estimated that around five in D.C. allow drop-by bathing.
鈥淚t鈥檚 18 degrees out here, and people are still trekking over to get a shower, and what individuals are sharing with us is that the shower actually gives them a new sense of hope and renewal,鈥� Lambert-Woodard said.
Miriam鈥檚 Kitchen in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood of D.C. will be one of the stops for this mobile shower trailer. CEO Scott Schenkelberg told 海角社区app they offer, meals, clothes, case management to find housing and advocacy work, “But people are always in need of hygiene.鈥�
鈥淓very time we’ve asked guests, what could we do to make your life a little bit better until we find housing for you?鈥� Schenkelberg said. 鈥淭hey always ask for showers and our facility just is not built to be able to provide showers.鈥�
They plan for the Mobile Outreach Unit to be outside Miriam鈥檚 Kitchen every other week.
In addition to providing showers, they will provide health and hygiene kits, with band aids, toothbrushes and toothpaste, that people can take with them.
鈥淐an you imagine going for weeks without having a shower, I mean, we all feel I would think very gross afterward,鈥� Schenkelberg said. 鈥淏ut it also is about affirming dignity and building trust. Because when people ask for something, and you repeatedly say ‘no.’ We can’t do that. It’s really hard. It doesn’t help build trust.鈥�
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