MIDDLEBURY — A couple of nondescript school buses will soon be rolling about 670 miles east to provide basic hygienic services for homeless women in Jersey City, N.J.
Each of the old buses, bought from Illinois Central School Bus, are being outfitted with a couple of showers, a restroom, a washer and dryer as well as a small lounge where visitors can relax until their laundry is finished.
“They’ll be able to leave the bus refreshed and proud of who they are,” said Bob Earley, director of sales and marketing for Diamond Trailers/Specialty Vehicles at 109 14th Ave. “It will have some semblance of the comforts of home.”
Diamond Trailers was contacted by the city early in the year as to whether it would be interested in taking on the project.
Though the business typically builds mobile command centers, Hollywood makeup trailers, fire safety houses, bunk houses and high-end restrooms, Earley speculated the city decided to call Diamond Trailers because of the specialty vehicle portion of its name.
Though the business has never built such a vehicle, CEO Eric Stutzman decided to take on the project because of the challenges as well as an interest in getting involved in helping homeless people.
“We were humbled that they asked us to take it on,” Earley said, during a tour of the buses. “We had to do it.”
Workers at Diamond Trailers/Specialty Vehicles work to convert school buses into mobile shower and laundry units for the homeless.
The employees who took on the project felt the same way, asking to stay with the buses from the beginning to the expected delivery by the middle of April, said Earley, adding that Diamond has worked closely with Jersey City to build something that’s durable yet homey.
Though the respite stations will be able to be moved to where they are needed each day, the buses will be capable of operating with or without city utilities such as water and sewer, said Earley, who declined to give a price tag for the vehicles.
While the company for now is only providing buses for Jersey City, Earley said he wouldn’t be surprised if other cities decide to pursue the idea.
Though South Bend is currently developing what’s called a permanent supportive housing complex for some of city’s homeless population in the Edison Park neighborhood, it won’t be enough to handle all of the city’s chronically homeless population.
Some currently stay at the South Bend Center for the Homeless or at Hope Ministries, and there are places where the homeless can get in out of the cold during winter amnesty, said Steve Matteson, director of ministry partnerships at Hope.
In addition, Hope is among the places where the homeless can get lunch or dinner each day, and Our Lady of the Road offers showers and laundry facilities at 744 S. Main Street. But even so, he believes such a mobile hygiene station could be useful in any city with a homeless population.
“There’s no question that it would be an incredible asset — a place where people could manage personal hygiene,” said Matteson, pointing out that such a station might help people feel less isolated and more willing to take the steps necessary to overcome problems.
Earley said Diamond didn’t take on the project to expand its business.
“We’re all part of the same small world,” he said. “Some people are homeless for reasons beyond their control.”
March 11, 2021 at 06:05PM
https://www.southbendtribune.com/news/business/middlebury-company-turning-school-buses-into-shower-laundry-spaces-for-the-homeless/article_460d0700-81f0-11eb-ab4b-7f03168fc322.html
Middlebury company turning school buses into shower, laundry spaces for the homeless - South Bend Tribune
https://news.google.com/search?q=Laundry&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
No comments:
Post a Comment