Chatham Savannah Authority for the Homeless (CSAH), in partnership with Chatham County, showcased their new mobile shower unit, Project Hope Water to the public this week.

 

The goal of the mobile shower unit is to provide access to regular, safe, clean shower facilities for people experiencing housing instability in the Chatham-Savannah community, while also connecting them with vital resources and pathways to housing opportunities. Project Hope Water seeks to be a conduit for CSAH’s theory of “radical hospitality.”

 

“This is our display of radical hospitality for people experiencing unsheltered homelessness. Showers also lead to increased health care, increased health outcomes and increased sense of personal well being, dignity and agency,” Jennifer Dulong, CEO of CSAH, said. “But the most critical thing is to get connected with people, build those trust relationships and rapport and get them connected to services that eventually lead to housing. Everything is about someone being under a roof, and so we hope to accomplish that goal with the shower program.”

 

Project Hope Water is one of an array of strategies in which the County has invested to help prevent homelessness. The Chatham County Board of Commissioners committed funding from the American Rescue Plan in partnering with CSAH on this project.

 

“We haven't had this type of service in Chatham County, and so there's a lot of people that are still wondering how it will work. So it is putting our toe in the water just to see if it's going to work. I am very hopeful and positive that it will be what we hope it will be,” Tara Jennings, Chatham County’s director of policy and intergovernmental affairs, said.

 

Once the program is fully operational, the mobile shower unit will rotate between key locations each week providing services to clients throughout Chatham County.

 

CSAH, in collaboration with several community partners, has worked to identify areas in our community where people experiencing homelessness have difficulty accessing clean water and shower facilities.

 

The trailer was debuted Monday, Nov. 18 at Kingdom Life Christian Fellowship, a vital partner in this new CSAH outreach program. Kingdom Life’s Savannah campus will be a weekly location for Project Hope Water.

 

The mobile shower unit will be at different locations around Chatham County on a daily basis, and CSAH case management team members, medical and behavioral health partners, legal services, pet services, and more will be offered on-site during regular hours of operation. Monday through Thursday from 10:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m.

 

Project Hope Water is CSAH’s latest street outreach initiative. This CSAH team connects unsheltered community members to critical services. Through nonjudgmental conversations, motivational interviewing, and consistent engagements, their outreach teams build strong relationships and rapport with the goal of helping people experiencing homelessness transition from the streets to housing stability.

 

Read more about Project Hope Water on CSAH’s website: www.homelessauthority.org