The unhoused face many daily challenges. One that is taken for granted by most is access to a bathroom and shower. For the unhoused, bathroom access is a challenge. How often do we see signs on doors “No Public Bathrooms” or “Bathrooms are for Patrons Only.”
A daily hygiene regimen is crucial for good health and for the prevention of spreading diseases such as Bacterial Skin Infections; Viruses and Parasites; Diarrhea and Other Gastrointestinal Distress; Ear, Nose, and Throat Infections; and Gingivitis, Cavities, and other Oral-Related Infections
Access to Sanitation
According to the National Library of Medicine, a staggering 59% of unhoused people rely on homeless shelters for showers. However, with limited resources and overcrowding, shelters often struggle to meet this demand, and not everyone who shows up requesting a shower may receive one.
Think about that: A person with a gym membership, for example, may have on-demand shower access right after a workout. An unhoused person may spend multiple days in the hot sun without clean clothes, and only receive one shower a week if they’re lucky. For many of us, daily showers are a necessity. Unfortunately, not everyone has that access.
Maintaining proper hand hygiene is crucial for preventing the spread of diseases, yet 89.2% of unhoused people rely on hand sanitizer as their primary hand-washing method, as reported by the National Library of Medicine.
Due to limited access to clean water and soap, hand sanitizer becomes a substitute, but it’s simply not enough. This reliance on hand sanitizer leaves individuals vulnerable to health risks and increases the likelihood of infections. Using alcohol-based products on cuts, scrapes, or wounds is not recommended, as it prevents healing. Soap and water are much gentler on the skin!
Another by-product of water inaccessibility is no clean clothes. Shockingly, 4.6% of unhoused individuals are never able to wash their clothes, exacerbating the challenges they face daily.
What this Means For the Unhoused
Society puts a lot of weight on personal hygiene; individuals will (and have) judged a person’s character based on their hygiene. Being considered unsanitary in public spaces can remove you from restaurants, buses, stores, and more.
It can also be a tremendous barrier to employment; improper sanitation can be a non-starter for job seekers in the food & hospitality industry, among other job opportunities.
On top of the expectations to have some form of job experience or education, there are “social norms” to consider in the workplace. Sanitation practices are at the top of that list — even if a person is perfectly qualified, they may lose out on a job due to their clothes and grooming practices. When you’re unhoused, this creates a vicious cycle that is nearly impossible to break out of. How can a person secure housing without a job, and how can a person secure a job without housing? It’s an unfair cycle, and many are forced to go through it alone. That needs to change.
Addressing the Crisis
The first step is outreach; connecting Rhode Islanders with the necessary resources to thrive plays a big role in their growth. A shower after a long, hot day can feel emotionally and physically regenerative — imagine the impact it has on a person who hasn’t had a shower in weeks.
Empathy is also important. Words like “dirty” or “gross” are demeaning, and blame the unhoused for their condition. There is a multitude of reasons why a person may have improper hygiene, and we as a society can make a difference by not passing judgment on others’ situations.
Better Lives RI has been offering this type of support for decades. With your donation, we can connect the unhoused with the resources for survival — including sanitation stations. Our efforts lower the barriers to food access, emergency shelter, and documentation services like background checks, birth certificates & more.