Imagine not being able to take a shower, put on clean clothes, and head off to work, knowing your belongings will be safe when you return. Imagine not being able to lock your door and go to sleep when you need to. Those are some of the realities our un-sheltered neighbors deal with every day. Those are also some of the realities being addressed by Church@thePark (C@tP) as it provides safe secure transitional shelter to people in Salem’s micro-shelter communities.
Shower Trailer Number 1 (ST1), funded mainly by UUCS congregants and donated by Habitat and Hope Village, Inc. is now being used by approximately 80 residents at the Village of Hope in northeast Salem. Church@thePark which manages the site picked ST1 up from the manufacturer in West Salem on July 8 and immediately put into service.
It is scheduled to be moved and reinstalled in a few weeks when Village of Hope moves to its new site at 1210 Center St.
Save the date. The public grand opening is Sunday, Sept. 11.
As ST1 neared completion, two local faith-based organizations not affiliated with UUCS, agreed to purchase and donate the remaining two shower trailers requested by C@tP.
It’s great to see increasing community support of the micro-shelter communities!
And, it means HHV is now able to move ahead with plans to purchase and donate up to three portable laundry facilities.
Preliminary cost estimates are in the area of $50,000 per unit for trailers with multiple washers and dryers plus folding tables, water heater and supply storage. Final design will result from collaboration between C@tP and Cozy Home (formerly Edomo), the local company that built ST1.
Fundraising for the first laundry trailer (LT1) is moving ahead as HHV seeks sponsors in the greater Salem area to match funds already collected or pledged. As noted in the July UUCS newsletter, we will soon contact financial supporters of the Women’s Shelter of Hope asking them to allow formal re-allocation of their contributions and pledged donations. We are also running a GoFundMe campaign which can be accessed through the HHV website: https://habitatandhopevillage.org
We look forward to your comments and continued support as we work with community partners to make a difference in the quality of life for our un-sheltered neighbors.