Homeless and unsheltered populations in Topeka have somewhere they can shower, go to the bathroom and get their laundry done.
A trailer with a shower, laundry facilities and a bathroom will be available 9-3 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at a variety of churches in Topeka.
Valeo, the Topeka Rescue Mission, the city of Topeka and Stormont Vail partnered to bring the Mobile Access Partnership to the city. That partnership kicks off with a mobile trailer that offers two showers and a washer and dryer where people can drop off clothes.
“To us, it is a matter of public safety and helping people get off the street, get into a situation where they are safe, more productive, where they can reunite with families,” said Bill Persinger, CEO at Valeo Behavioral Health. “For us at Valeo, it’s taking mental health and the access to mental health care and the access to recovery from addiction out to the street where people are.”
Persinger said he heard stories of people not showering for months at a time. Care coordinators will be on hand to see what other services people could need, which Persinger hopes will connect more people to the help they need.
“Taking that first step is a big deal for people,” he said. “What we strive to do here in many ways is to put ourselves in the way of people. Be there where they are in their life and meet them where they are. Literally where they are.”
The vehicle can hold up to 750 gallons of water and will primarily run on electric energy with a gas generator as a backup. It will be parked at various churches on a rotating, six-week cycle. Churches will host the vehicle for a week before it goes to the next location. Seven churches have partnered with two locations sharing one week.
Persinger doesn’t know how many people will use the services, but said “we are doing our jobs” if anywhere from 10-20 people arrived.
Mark DeGroff, StreetReach director with the Topeka Rescue Mission, said the trailer will be available in every zip code and was strategically set up near homeless camps or panhandling hotspots.
DeGroff said showering facilities will be joined with food, medical and clothing units in the future. There will be multiple trailers working in tandem, but they will mostly travel to the same locations.
The medical trailer could be available by September and will be offered through a partnership with Stormont Vail Health. The trailer can do anything primary care offices offer and will have two examination rooms.
The partnership was going to have its ribbon cutting on Tuesday, but inclement weather pushed that back until 2 p.m. May 14 at the St. John AME Church.
Donations or volunteering inquiries can be directed to either Valeo or the Topeka Rescue Mission’s Facebook pages or websites.
“The combination of hot meals and a hot shower, and some great medical care, some great mental health care will really help people toward housing and just a better quality of life, ” DeGroff said.
The Link LonkMay 04, 2021 at 02:34AM
https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/good-news/2021/05/03/partnership-brings-mobile-showers-laundry-unsheltered-populations-topeka-stormont-vail-recue-mission/4895435001/
CapFed Best News: Mobile Access Partnership bringing showers, bathroom and laundry facilities to unsheltered populations - The Topeka Capital-Journal
https://news.google.com/search?q=Laundry&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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