South Park Studies: the redemptive power of a hot shower

South Park Studies: Homelessness

LEARN

The 10-minute shower you start your daily routine with is a rare blessing for people experiencing homelessness. Without a home there are significant barriers to self-care and personal hygiene, including limited access to clean showers, laundry and handwashing facilities. This article from Capital and Main shares how Lava Mae, a mobile shower start-up company is delivering dignity to the homeless, one shower at a time.

Living Homeless in California: Dignity Is a Hot Shower
Capital & Main, May 31, 2018

Eric Finister feels fresh. As fresh as a chronically homeless man can feel. The 53-year-old has just emerged from the showers at a Lava Mae portable trailer parked alongside Mount Tabor Missionary Baptist Church in South Los Angeles, and he looks sharp: his soft face glowing, salt-and-pepper beard trimmed and wearing new clothes.

For a moment, he can forget about the crowded, trash-strewn reality of Western Avenue and the hustle that exist only a few yards away.

“This is what helps,” Finister says. “I count this as a blessing to be able to come get a shower, have some fresh clothes and a meal to eat. This helps me along the way until I get back to where I know to be, and when I do, I will never forget this place.”

For the roughly 53,000 men and women in Los Angeles County who don’t have permanent housing (and for some who do), a shower and clean clothes are more than a matter of hygiene. They’re a matter of humanity. Cleaning up can dissolve the separateness between a homeless person and the rest of society. It’s a door through which some will come to mental health services, substance abuse counseling, church and other community contacts and, finally, housing.

Read the full article here.

GET INVOLVED

Lava Mae is delivering mobile showers near City Hall in Downtown Los Angeles in conjunction with the Mayor’s Homeless Help Desk, which acts as a referral center to people living on the street. Individual volunteer opportunities are available to greet guests while they await their shower appointment, provide fresh towels, clean socks and personal hygiene items, and clean shower stalls after each use. Learn more about volunteer opportunities here.

ABOUT

South Park Studies is a new initiative designed to bring you news and resources on the topics we hear questions about the most — homelessness, daycare and school availability, transportation, and more. Each topic, starting with homelessness, will consist of a multi-week series of article recommendations, volunteer opportunities, and more. Learn more about South Park by visiting southpark.la.

Coro Fellow Taylor Brown contributed to this piece. Learn more about the Coro Fellows Program in Public Affairs here.