Mobile hygiene trailer aims to provide hot showers for Kauai’s homeless
LIHUE, Hawaii (KHON2) — A new mobile hygiene trailer is offering free hot showers to individuals experiencing homelessness on Kauai.
Kauai County officials and non-profit organization Project Vision Hawaii held a blessing ceremony for the new mobile hygiene trailer.
“Access to basic hygiene and healthcare should be available to everyone, and that’s now a wonderful and humbling reality here on Kauai,” said Mayor Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami. “The power of a hot shower can renew your spirit, and I know many of us can relate to that. We are so grateful to the team at Project Vision Hawai‘i and our Housing Agency for providing this shower unit and for your efforts to serve and care for our houseless community.”
The mobile shower unit was funded by money from the CARES Act. According to county officials, Project Vision Hawaii received $100,000 for the project.
A special allocation of $541,000 of the county’s Community Development Block Grant Coronavirus (CDBG-CV) funds was also awarded to Project Vision Hawaii to purchase a truck which will tow the trailer, and cover other operating expenses. These services for the houseless community include first-aid, wellness checks, document procurement assistance, Medicaid registration and more.
“Project Vision Hawai‘i is committed to increasing access to healthcare for the people of Hawaii, and our mobile hygiene service has been widely successful on Oahu and Hawaii Island,” said Darrah Kauhane, who serves as executive director of Project Vision Hawaii. “We are excited for the opportunity to provide these much needed services to Kauai’s houseless community, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic where preventing the spread of the virus continues to be a high priority.”
To date, Project Vision Hawai‘i has provided over 3,500 hot showers to individuals experiencing homelessness on Oahu and Hawaii Island.
For more information about Project Vision Hawaii, click here.
For more information about the Housing Agency’s homeless outreach program, please call 241-4427.
By the Staff at KHON2
https://www.khon2.com/local-news/mobile-hygiene-trailer-aims-to-provide-hot-showers-for-kauais-homeless/