DENVER — According to Michael “Gray” Edwards, “most people know if you’re homeless by your hands.”
But thanks to Denver nonprofit Showers for All, Edwards shows that he has “pale, white hands for once from dirt being gone, finally.”
Showers for All provides free and clean showers, bathrooms, and laundry services to people experiencing homelessness.
“It doesn’t matter what the circumstances are, people still deserve the opportunity to have access to basic resources,” said Jennifer Kloeppel, co-founder of Showers for All.
Colorado Voices
Showers For All
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Providing showers and laundry for those less fortunate on the streets of Denver.
The nonprofit has the capacity to deliver about 60 showers and 60 loads of laundry each day. It costs about $8,000 a month to run the trailer, according to Kleoppel, and it uses the water and electricity from the building they set up in front of. For now, the nonprofit is funded through private donations.
Edwards called it a sign of hope.
“Showers for All has given me help to the point that I’ve gotten back in school, got a different look about myself, feel better about myself being clean,” he said.
Edwards explained that cleanliness is often a barrier that prevents unhoused people from finding work.
Food and shelter are more accessible, Kloeppel said, “but [people experiencing homelessness] do not have an opportunity to clean their bodies or clean their clothes. And so we decided that we could be the ones to provide that.”
The trailer has two full bathrooms, including showers, and two washer/dryer units. There are no time limits on showers or time spent in the bathroom, as they don’t want to rush anyone; the average time spent in the bathroom or shower is about 20 minutes.
“We desperately wanted this bathroom to feel like a bathroom that was at home, rather than one you just find in a porta potty or at a festival,” Kloeppel said. “So we tried to make it really special.”
Edwards described the bathrooms as “just like home.”
For now, Showers for All is operating four days a week. Due to the pandemic, the nonprofit has not been able to expand its services to other areas, but organizers are working on moving the trailer to different locations throughout Denver and eventually running it seven days a week.
After using the showers, bathrooms, or laundry, people receive a bag of hygiene products and new face masks to protect against COVID-19. The facilities are cleaned after each use.
“Hygiene is a basic human right,” Kloeppel said. “For me, it’s about showing up and loving people well. And that’s something that I hope to pass on to people. And this community has shown me over and over again how well they care for each other, and then how well they care for spaces that are provided to them.”
Editor's note: this story was produced prior to the March 13-14 winter storm. The nonprofit will resume service March 18.
More information on Showers for All, including ways to donate, is available here.
