Mobile Shower Service for Homeless Australians

Our campaign is all about providing practical hygiene services for safety, dignity and support - one HOT shower at a time; to homeless people across our cities who call the cold and lonely parks or streets at night
their home.

OUR STORY

Australia’s first “MOBILE SHOWER SERVICE” is an innovative initiative of the registered and accredited charity “ONEVOICE FOR AUSSIE YOUTH”.

In 2012, ONEVOICE founder and social worker Josh Wilkins spent six months living on the streets amongst the homeless community to see what gaps and problems existed in the current services and support available to homeless people.
Josh wanted to do something to assist without re-inventing the wheel.

After witnessing many confronting and eye opening circumstances, Josh identified two urgent and important concerns:

 1. Access to clean and safe shower facilities

 2. A lack of immediate, safe and affordable accommodation

This experience on the streets moved Josh deeply, motivating him to form the Australian Charity ONEVOICE, dedicated to addressing these basic human needs; and form a team of professional and passionate individuals who would help
pioneer the kind of unique services and facilities required to tackle these concerns.

Together we believe that charity starts at home; and the first step is to restore basic dignity to homeless people across Australia by providing simple hygiene services like access to clean, safe shower facilities; offering them
immediate comfort, safety and a new lease of life, and hopefully, helping them to restore their lives forever…

WHY MOBILE SHOWERS?

We all know showering is important for hygiene… but it’s so much more than that!

Showering, and the sense of cleanliness and freshness it provides, dramatically impacts on how we feel about ourselves; and affects significantly the quality of our social interactions and how others see and think of us.

So, we may take it for granted but self-confidence, self-worth and dignity are all in some small way connected to our ability and opportunity to regularly clean and refresh ourselves.

Have you ever asked yourself these questions:-

• Would you go to work without having a shower?

• How would you cope without hot water during winter?

• How would you feel if you didn’t have access to a shower?

• What if the only bathroom facilities you could access were locked?

• What if your shower was unsafe and you were at risk of people walking in?

• What if the facilities were so unclean that it was better for you to avoid them?

This is the reality of thousands of homeless Australians everyday…

But with your help, we can create a new reality…

With your help we want to do something about it…

With your help we can - restore dignity, one shower at a time…

WHAT ARE WE DOING?

In 2014 ONEVOICE launched our first MOBILE SHOWER SERVICE in Melbourne; the service was located at Rebecca Walk in Batman Park, under Spencer St bridge.

This service offered homeless people a safe place to have a hot shower, shave, brush their teeth and access fresh clothes and hygiene products.

During this time we found:

• An average of 18 people used the Mobile Shower Service per night

• Issues with their health were a major concern, especially during winter

• A genuine and overwhelming need for access to safe and clean shower facilities

• Current ‘Public facilities’ available were limited, dirty and overcrowded

• Existing services are only available weekdays between 9am and 1pm

• With NO access available on the weekends

This mobile service is now currently located at The Salvation Army in Wyndham and is making a huge difference in the lives of people experiencing homelessness.

Since the launch of our first MOBILE SHOWER SERVICE a number of community organizations around Australia have also expressed the need for similar services in their Towns and Cities. So we have responded by developing a National
Plan to “roll out” our unique mobile services across the suburbs of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.

But to do this we need your help!

OUR SECOND MOBILE SHOWER SERVICE

The experience gained from our first mobile unit has enabled us to plan and design a new improved second unit - a “Mobile Shower Bus” that will be easier to maneuver and be fully self-contained with all water, power and drainage
built in.

The new service will also include a MOBILE HEALTH CLINIC, where free health checks will be available to all patrons visiting the service.

This new mobile service will enable us to go to any location, at any time, without requiring third party support for access to water, power or drainage.

The bus will be fitted out with:

• Two separate, private, safe and secure shower rooms

• A consultation area for health checks, performed by registered nurses

• On-board water tanks providing up to 30 showers

• Gas operated instantaneous HOT water

• Powered by an on-board diesel generator

• Storage for towels, hygiene products, warm clothing and sleeping attire.

Below is an impression of what our new and improved MOBILE SHOWER SERVICE will look like. Thanks to the generous and gracious donation of Ventura Buses we are currently building our first bus now, which you can follow its progress
on our Facebook Page.

HOW CAN YOU HELP US RESTORE DIGNITY, ONE SHOWER AT A TIME?

By getting behind this campaign and share it with your family, friends and work colleagues. Make a financial contribution and be a part of Australian history by helping us restore dignity in the lives of so many homeless people
sleeping rough in our own backyard.