Shower the People Provides over 20,000 Showers to People Experiencing Homelessness in SLO

San Luis Obispo, Calif. — February 8, 2024 – Shower the People, a volunteer-run nonprofit organization committed to providing showers to homeless community members, announced today that as of the end of 2023 it has provided over 20,000 free showers since beginning operations in October 2018. Five days per week its sites operate for approximately three and a half hours, providing showers for up to 30 people a day.

In the five and a half years Shower the People has been operating, the organization has increased the number of showers they have provided to the community year over year. In 2023, 335 guests visited for the first time and 7,321 showers were provided — the highest annual total since the nonprofit was founded.

“It has been through the generosity of our community that we’ve been able to achieve this milestone and continue giving hundreds of people the chance to bathe with privacy and dignity on a consistent basis,” said Gwen Watkins, Shower the People’s founder. “By helping them meet this basic human need, we are improving the health and welfare of our local unhoused, and creating opportunities for them to build confidence and self-esteem that could potentially improve their situation.”

Some guests arrive having not been able to take a shower in months, while others are ‘regulars,’ some of whom have jobs and rely on their weekly showers. In addition to hot showers, in 2023 the organization provided 5,304 new pairs of socks, 4,513 new pairs of underwear, 4,939 new t-shirts, as well as countless toothbrushes, toothpaste, combs, and hand sanitizers.

Shower the People depends on donations from individual community members as well as donations and grants from local organizations. As an entirely volunteer-run program, those investments go directly to sustaining the important and meaningful work of providing showers — and dignity — for homeless community members.

“It feels great to work side-by-side with people who care,” said David Gross, a Shower the People volunteer and technical writing consultant from San Luis Obispo. “The guests know they can depend on us because we are always there, rain-or-shine, even on holidays. The toughest part is when we have to turn guests away because the need outweighs the organization’s current capacity.”

Shower the People is always in need of community members who want to volunteer their time to serve at one of the shower sites. Volunteers come from all walks of life and range in age from 18 to 80 years old. They not only keep the day-to-day operations going, but they are the heart and hands of the organization.

Shower the People also relies on community partnerships and collaborations, like the faith-based organizations that host the weekly shower sites and Arroyo Grande Community Hospital which launders towels and washcloths.

Currently Shower the People sites are located in San Luis Obispo and Grover Beach. The organization can add new locations if it can increase volunteer numbers and if local businesses or community organizations are interested in serving as host sites.

About Shower the People

Shower the People is a community-based mobile shower program that offers free, hot showers to homeless people five days a week at locations in San Luis Obispo and Grover Beach. The nonprofit organization is entirely volunteer-run, relying on about 35 community volunteers overseeing daily operations for the various shower sites to create welcoming, safe, clean, and reliable environments for those in need. Shower services can be found at the following locations:

• County of San Luis Obispo Public Library (995 Palm Street) on Sundays from 12:30pm to 3:30pm
• Unitarian Universalist Church (2201 Lawton Avenue) on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10:00am to 1:00pm
• South County People’s Kitchen at LifePoint Church in Grover Beach (946 Rockaway Avenue) on Wednesdays from 10:00am to 1:00pm
• United Church of Christ (11245 Los Osos Valley Road) on Saturdays from 10:00am to 1:00pm