Mobile Trailer That Lets Homeless Bathe Coming To Morris County

MORRIS COUNTY, NJ — Consistent personal hygiene can be difficult for homeless people and water-insecure individuals and families. But for those who struggle to find a place to regularly bathe, LavaLove is coming to help.

POWER CHANGES LIVES INC — a Morris County nonprofit that helps low-income, minority and underserved communities — announced a new initiative. LavaLove is a 29-foot trailer with three shower-toilet units, providing full hygiene services for guests.

The trailer will operate three days per week in six-hour shifts, which will make it able to provide 54 daily showers and 5,616 per year. The truck is scheduled for completion in December, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony set for on or around Dec. 18.

>>>Want to win Six Flags Great Adventure Season Passes? Here's how.

"Many churches and shelters provide limited overnight accommodations but do not have the resources or capacity to provide showers," said POWER CEO Penelope Lopez. "This is especially difficult and dangerous for those with chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, where foot care, including access to clean, dry socks can prevent deadly foot infections, or those with mental illness, or women who have privacy and special hygiene needs, and the LGBTQIA+ community, where safety is a huge concern."

POWER is meeting with local and community officials to determine the feasibility of giving LavaLove a permanent location, while still taking advantage of its mobility. In addition to showers, grooming and social services, guests will receive paper-bag lunches through the organization's Project F.E.E.D. (Friends Ensuring Every Dinner).

The program is modeled after LavaMaex, which provides mobile showers and other services in the Bay Area and Los Angeles.

The trailer is designed to provide year-round services, equipped with a 900-gallon waste tank for the collection of black and graywater. Features include shower stalls, a gas water heater, a toilet with a sink and mirror, wall heaters, mental-health resources, a barber/salon chair/sink combination and a Speed Queen stackable washer and dryer.

Take a look below:

Community Support

The project will need community support to get off the ground. Community and corporate sponsorship tiles are available for purchase. Visit the EventBrite page to purchase tiles, which are available on a first-come, first-served basis until Dec. 1. The trailer will be custom-wrapped using the sponsored design images.

Find out more about POWER (People Organized Working Evolving Reaching).

Thanks for reading. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Have a news tip? Email josh.bakan@patch.com. Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter.