Staff and volunteers prepared to distribute clean laundry delivered by our partners at Hope Haven.
A Swift Community Response
When severe thunderstorms collapsed the roof of our primary unsheltered services building, the Hub, some services were available within hours. But the shower and laundry facilities built into the Hub were harder to replace. Our neighbors experiencing homelessness count on our Day Services Center (DSC) to offer showers and laundry as a source of hygiene and dignity, so Roof Above reached out to explore how we could continue offering these essential services as quickly as possible. Community partners answered the call. For the first few days, men were shuttled to our shelters to shower, while First United Methodist Church stepped up to offer showers for women. “I feel like myself again,” said one women as she stepped off the van after her shower. One volunteer took neighbors’ clothes home with her to wash as we bridged the gap to our next phase of services.
New Partnerships Bring Community to Campus
The Hope Tank on campus with Emmanuel Threatt, co-founder of Hope Vibes.
Over the next week, we built new connections with community partners. Hope Haven agreed to let us outsource laundry service to them, allowing our neighbors to count on clean clothes just 4 days after the storm. Two other community organizations, About Our Father’s Business and Hope Vibes, operate mobile laundry & shower trucks. They have been taking turns setting up shop in the Day Services Center parking lot, ensuring we can offer showers and laundry on-site on weekdays. “It’s a little like story of the loaves and fishes,” says Keith Jackson, DSC Operations Manager, “They are getting 30+ showers a day in a single stall. Our neighbors understand how much it means for as many people as possible to get that chance, and we’re seeing the spirit of cooperation.”
Veronica Washington, Executive Director of About Our Father’s Business, says, “We go where the need is, and right now that’s here.”
Uniting to Serve Our Neighbors
We are deeply grateful for the spirit of community that is shining through as we continue to respond to the storm damage at our Day Services Center. “Our mission is to unite the community to end homelessness, one life at a time,” says CEO Liz Clasen-Kelly, “and this extraordinary community has united to walk alongside our neighbors as we work together to serve them as we rebuild.”