All Too Often, Homeless Also Means Showerless

Homelessness could often just as easily be described as refrigeratorless, bedless, air conditioningless or showerless. It's true. When one is homeless, the prospect of a shower can be terrifying, not in a Psycho way, but because it seems so far out of reach. Shelters have showers (bring your flip flops!), but these days, fewer and fewer folks are getting in the front door.

Those of us who take our daily (or twice daily) showers for granted can still imagine how hard a job interview or a parent-teacher conference would be after three days without a shampooing. When homeless people are in need of bottles of water, getting the 80 to 100 gallons that the average American uses each day is as unlikely as being handed the keys to a brand new mansion.

Thank goodness for Frank and Louise Fargo, a couple in Seattle who recognize how big an impact a 10-minute shower can have on someone's day, her self-esteem, her life. For these faithful, an effort they call "Shower to the People" is their mission. After meeting homeless people through church activities and reading the book Under the Overpass, Frank decided to buy a small trailer with a shower and several hot water tanks. Louise was on board, provided they also offer clean clothes for people when they get out and dry off.

Since 2008, the couple have been parking their shower-mobile at local churches. They currently offer a good scrubbing on Wednesday nights and Saturday mornings. They've been able to facilitate more than 1,000 showers since they began. On some days, 20 people line up, waiting patiently with a laminated ticket. Baskets of toiletries sit beside them, providing some of the comforts of home, however briefly.

Photo credit: Steven Depolo