Santa Clara County is scrambling to build shelters and distribute housing vouchers with new resources from President Biden’s American Rescue Plan. But for East Palo Alto-based nonprofit Project WeHOPE, tackling homelessness starts with providing an even more basic service: a load of laundry and a hot shower.
Every day, WeHOPE’s ‘Dignity on Wheels’ teams drive specialized trailers with mobile shower and laundry units to locations across the South Bay to provide a critical service for people living on the streets. They say the showers are all the more important now, a year after COVID-19 closed the gyms, parks and restaurants that many people relied on for hygiene — and that they’re a huge first step for building the confidence and trust that can help connect people experiencing homelessness with case managers and further support.