‘A fresh start.’ SLO library offers free showers, services for people in need

Sometimes, a hot shower can turn a day around. And, thanks to a local organization, more people in San Luis Obispo will now be able to enjoy one.

Shower the People, a local, nonprofit organization, has partnered with the San Luis Obispo Library to offer free showers at the library to homeless and vulnerable people every Sunday from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.

The library started the service at the beginning of July, and library manager Aracelli Astorga said approximately seven people a week have been using the service so far. She expects participation to grow as more people learn the service is available.

Shower the People parks a trailer with three private bathrooms, each with a shower, sink and toilet, at the library’s docking area each Sunday afternoon. Clean towels, washcloths, soap and shampoo are also provided.

Before the program, Astorga said, she had to refer needy visitors to services at 40 Prado Homeless Services Center, which may be too far away for some people to reach. Now, she can tell visitors to come to the library for showers.

“A shower gives you a renewed sense of spirit,” Astorga said. “Your body comes out cleaner, but it also clears your mind. For many, it just washes away the day’s stress, like a fresh start. That comes across in how people carry themselves.”

Shower the People also offers free showers twice a week at South County People’s Kitchen in Grover Beach.

According to Shower the People board president Gwen Watkins, two more San Luis Obispo county locations will be up and running in fall.

Watkins said the service in Grover Beach helped two regular users secure jobs.

“(We’re) changing lives one shower at a time,” Watkins said. “It’s an incredibly simple thing that can make a person feel so much better in their life.”

This story was originally published July 30, 2019 at 10:38 AM.