Buses Fitted With Showers Will Let Brooklyn's Homeless Wash

SUNSET PARK, NY — School buses outfitted with showers will drive the streets of Brooklyn and offer homeless individuals the chance to get clean.

Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams partnered with Turning Point and Brooklyn Community Services to purchase the two mobile units that will drive to spots around the borough to give people access to free showers.

"This bus is going to become a symbol where our homeless men and women will be able to identify a safe space, not only to clean themselves but to start the process of holding on to their dignity," Adams said at Turning Point's Sunset Park headquarters on Wednesday. "You cannot get a job if you can’t walk into a space that you can’t deal with your basic hygiene needs. You can't sit in a classroom, you can't get on the subway, the bus, if you can't deal with your basic hygiene needs."

The two converted buses are expected to rollout next year and will travel to spaces homeless people already go to seek aid, like food pantries and hospitals, Adams said. Aside from the showers, the units will also have restrooms and give out free soap, shampoo, towels, shaving kits, socks and underwear.

"Being destitute should not be a signal for lack of dignity and respect," said Adams.

The mobile showers will be funded by $308,000 from Adams' office and $77,000 from the City Council. While other places have similar buses, this will be the first time they will take to the streets in New York City, according to Adams.

The showers will be run by both Brooklyn Community Services and Turning Point, who previously ran free showers for homeless individuals from their 39th Street space until they closed them recently.

The city has seen a large increase in the homeless population in recent years with more than 62,000 people living in shelters around the city as of October, a 75 percent increase from a decade ago, the New York Times reported.

Image: Brooklyn Community Services