Lava Mae Gives The Homeless A Fresh Start

Dec 20, 2018 by apost team

It’s something that we don’t often think about, but those who are homeless often don’t have anywhere to upkeep their hygiene. Until now, that is. Lava Mae Los Angeles is taking mobile showers to homeless people in order to give them a fresh and clean start in life.

Their concept is warming the hearts of people around the world. The goal of this program is to restore the dignity of those who have lost it due to homelessness. A small thing to us that we take for granted, such as a place to shower, can make a huge difference to someone that is homeless and can give them a brand new sense of optimism. But how does it work?

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Lava Mae turns old buses into mobile units that contain showers. The buses then tour through the areas of San Francisco and Los Angeles. The wonderful group was founded by a woman named Doniece Sandoval and has been providing places for the homeless to shower since 2016. The hard work of this group brings radical hospitality to the streets. Since it began, the foundation has helped over 4,000 homeless individuals and given 20,000 showers to people that were in need.

Showers aren’t the only goal of the group, however. They also try to raise awareness about the lack of basic hygiene that is afforded to those that have lost their homes. With their message, the group has inspired other programs for mobile hygiene units that operate all around the world. The group is furthering their humanitarian efforts with ways for others to replicate their program, using pop-up villages for care that can bring services to the homeless that need them the most.

Since Lava Mae began, they have been inspiring other groups to follow suit and bring hygiene services to the homeless. Those who work for the group provide a happy and friendly face to those who need a little bit of optimism in their life. They also offer kits for hygiene essentials that can make a big difference in the lives of the less fortunate.

Since the service began, they have inspired 500 other groups to replicate their service in 10 different countries! This means that global access to hygiene is increasing at a rapid rate thanks to their optimism and hard work. The pop-up care villages that they have been offering as of late offer services such as haircuts, food, career advice, books to read and access to medical and dental work! It’s truly amazing the difference that we can make if we put in the effort.

Although there are many misconceptions and stereotypes that surround homelessness, we can clarify things if we spread the correct messages. It’s important to be informed. The face of homelessness is different than what you would expect.

• 80% of people dealing with homelessness are only homeless temporarily.
• 37% of the homeless are only under these conditions for less than a week.
• 88% of the homeless are only facing these circumstances for a month or less.
• 44% of people that are homeless do have jobs but still cannot afford to house themselves.
• 30% of the homeless population is made up of families.
• 31% of the homeless population is made up of people over 50 years old.
• 1.2 million students face homelessness.
• 40% of the homeless in America are women. 57% of these cite domestic or sexual violence as the reason for their homelessness.

What do you think about the Lava Mae project? Have you learned anything about the homeless after reading this article? Although being homeless is something that no one wishes to become, we can make things a little easier for others with the help of services like Lava Mae. Pass this inspiring tale to your friends.