San Antonio City Council Approves City’s First Mobile Shower Trailer

February 9, 2020 - San Antonio

By Jade Esteban Estrada - Political Columnist, San Antonio Sentinel

On January 30, by a vote of 10-1, San Antonio City Council approved a contract with Ameri-Can Engineering to purchase a mobile shower that will provide hygienic assistance to individuals experiencing homelessness or other community emergencies. 

The purchase of the mobile shower trailer will have a three-station combo, which includes two standard stalls and one ADA stall. 

In December 2018, District 1 Councilmember Roberto Treviño requested that the City initiate a mobile shower program after he noticed the positive impact a warm shower had on the refugees traveling through the southern border.

“For those experiencing homelessness, access to showers is often the first step in rekindling a feeling of dignity and upending the vicious cycle of homelessness,” said Treviño. “No one should be denied access to cleanliness.”

Mayor Ron Nirenberg and a majority of the city council contributed portions of their City Council Project Funds (CCPF) and the Department of Human Services (DHS) committed money out of their general fund towards the purchase of the mobile shower unit. DHS will also oversee the deployment of the trailer.

District 10 Councilmember Clayton Perry voted against the purchase of the mobile shower. “My chief of staff said, ‘Man, you’re going to look like a meanie,’” he said. “[But] I’m not looking at it that way.” In his research of this model in other large cities, Perry said that a service of this kind is not operated by city funding, but by nonprofit organizations that receive funding from grants and the private sector. He asked who would be responsible for repairing the shower trailer “when it breaks down - and it will break down,” he said.

Others offered their thoughts as to why they felt this service should be provided by the City.

“Taking a shower every day is something most of us might take for granted,” said Melody Woosley, director of the Department of Human Services. “With the purchase of this mobile shower unit, we will be able to provide an important service to homeless individuals in need, helping them to have the comfort and confidence to access services and to assist them with challenges they may face. The Department of Human Services develops collaborative strategies and maximizes resources to improve the quality of life for the most vulnerable in our community.”

“If we can install kiosks downtown for tourists, we can provide showers for the most vulnerable human beings in our city,” said District 8 City Councilman Manny Pelaez. “Imagine trying to get a job without the access to a shower or a sink to brush your teeth in. I want to live in a San Antonio where people actually have that opportunity.”

“The first thing is self-respect,” said District 9 Councilmember John Courage. “If you can’t respect yourself, you want to stay away from the community. You want to continue to hide. I think putting yourself in a position of looking at yourself clean and refreshed and understanding that, ‘Hey, you’re a human being like everybody else’ is part of that first step to get you back into the community.” He said he was disappointed that the City did not embrace this project as a “full undertaking” when it was first presented. “I can just envision someone who has been homeless for months or even years, maybe people who haven’t had a shower or any kind of personal hygiene for months at a time and what their self-image must be. But what could that self-image be if they would be able to go and get cleaned up and have a shower and come out and feel like they’re a normal human being for a change instead of what they see in a puddle or what they see in a restroom mirror at some gas station because they haven’t been able to groom themselves or take care of that personal hygiene for months and months and months at a time Hopefully, this will help people get off the streets.”

As part of District 1’s request, DHS partnered with Christian Assistance Ministry (CAM) and Baptist Child and Family Services (BCFS) in July to implement a mobile shower pilot program which provided a total of 1,407 families experiencing homelessness with showers as of December 31, 2019.

“We said yes to piloting this shower program because we heard from our clients that it was a top three need. We had no idea how transformative it would be not only on the outside but on the inside,” said Dawn White-Fosdick, executive director of CAM. “The showers provided a time for clarity and hope for a brighter future for those we served. It is a vital program to address our homeless issues. It provides a means for better health, cleanliness and even a means to getting a job.”

Currently, there are more than one hundred mobile hygiene programs throughout the world. Treviño hopes to see medical, mental health, legal and other resources such as ID recovery, implemented alongside the mobile shower. The anticipated delivery date for the mobile shower is mid-April.

“I think it took us a long time to get to this point,” said District 7 Councilmember Ana Sandoval. “I think anyone on this dais knows that feeling when you get out of a shower. It’s a place to think [and] you can gather your thoughts. Some people come up with ideas in the shower…it transforms your day and your mood. It’s an act of compassion to be able to provide this.”

Sandoval and other council members thanked Treviño for bringing the issue forward.

“I know it will take work, but it will change people’s lives,” she said.

To learn about volunteer opportunities at Christian Assistance Ministry (CAM), click here.

Jade Esteban Estrada covers politics for the San Antonio Sentinel. Email him at jade@sasentinel.com.