Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Mobile showers for San Francisco's homeless

bbc.co.uk

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

21–30 of 58 posts

Re: Mobile showers for San Francisco's homeless

#21

Post by towelguy »

rodrago wrote: post #7

Mobile showers are great, but I might have missed what’s so groundbreaking about it. http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Mobile_Shower_Unit__... http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2008210554_homeless28... http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20100923/NEWS01/709239891 http://www.henkelna.com/press/2010-16528-henkel-and-tempe-co... http://www.depaulfrance.org/actualites/mobildouche/?lang=en

Of course it's not groundbreaking, but until it becomes commonplace, it's nice to hear about such things happening.

Re: Mobile showers for San Francisco's homeless

#22

Post by ZanyProgrammer »

jwilliams wrote: post #18
cgcardona wrote: post #8

I live and work in San Francisco and have tweeted many times about the extreme lack of public restrooms and the overwhelming amount of human waste littered across our beautiful city. We have an incredibly large transient population and yet there are hardly any public restrooms. It's an all too common site to see someone squatting down in the middle of the sidewalk relieving themselves. We pride ourselves on being the…

It's worth reading this article: http://www.thebolditalic.com/articles/3758-why-is-there-so-m... Homeless people were using the BART escalators as restrooms at night... causing them to break down. The solution? Multi-million dollar covers to stop people getting down there at night – not a considerably smaller sum for public restrooms. This speaks to the psychology. There is still a population in SF that believes home…

Just gate off the street entrances to the BART stations along Market Street and in the Mission. Problem solved.

I would really (ideally) like the urban BART stations to have restrooms, but unless the authorities are going to make sure they are clean, safe and sanitary, that's not going to work.

Re: Mobile showers for San Francisco's homeless

#23

Post by rodrago »

towelguy wrote: post #21
rodrago wrote: post #7

Mobile showers are great, but I might have missed what’s so groundbreaking about it. http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Mobile_Shower_Unit__... http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2008210554_homeless28... http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20100923/NEWS01/709239891 http://www.henkelna.com/press/2010-16528-henkel-and-tempe-co... http://www.depaulfrance.org/actualites/mobildouche/?lang=en

Of course it's not groundbreaking, but until it becomes commonplace, it's nice to hear about such things happening.

sure is, i am involved in one. just weird seeing people react as it was a new idea.

edit: grammar

Re: Mobile showers for San Francisco's homeless

#24

Post by ChuckMcM »

cgcardona wrote: post #8

I live and work in San Francisco and have tweeted many times about the extreme lack of public restrooms and the overwhelming amount of human waste littered across our beautiful city. We have an incredibly large transient population and yet there are hardly any public restrooms. It's an all too common site to see someone squatting down in the middle of the sidewalk relieving themselves. We pride ourselves on being the…

Public restrooms have a long history of challenges. Some cities take those challenges on, and some don't.

Things that I've noted as challenges (unordered) are; gang tagging/claiming, people sleeping in them, cleaning them, equipment damage, supplies (toilet paper, hand drying), and water wastage.

I wonder sometimes if squat toilets are a better solution for public restrooms with a varied population. Given they are pretty straight forward to clean from a distance with a hose.

Re: Mobile showers for San Francisco's homeless

#25

Post by experimental- »

cgcardona wrote: post #8

I live and work in San Francisco and have tweeted many times about the extreme lack of public restrooms and the overwhelming amount of human waste littered across our beautiful city. We have an incredibly large transient population and yet there are hardly any public restrooms. It's an all too common site to see someone squatting down in the middle of the sidewalk relieving themselves. We pride ourselves on being the…

Really? Hardly any? I would consider it rude not to offer free restroom in a shopping centre, although it's far too common in a fast-food joint (they aren't really any better than the ones that are truly public.)

Re: Mobile showers for San Francisco's homeless

#26

Post by defen »

ChuckMcM wrote: post #24
cgcardona wrote: post #8

I live and work in San Francisco and have tweeted many times about the extreme lack of public restrooms and the overwhelming amount of human waste littered across our beautiful city. We have an incredibly large transient population and yet there are hardly any public restrooms. It's an all too common site to see someone squatting down in the middle of the sidewalk relieving themselves. We pride ourselves on being the…

Public restrooms have a long history of challenges. Some cities take those challenges on, and some don't. Things that I've noted as challenges (unordered) are; gang tagging/claiming, people sleeping in them, cleaning them, equipment damage, supplies (toilet paper, hand drying), and water wastage. I wonder sometimes if squat toilets are a better solution for public restrooms with a varied population. Given they are pr…

Americans are probably too fat on average for squat toilets to be a feasible solution.

Re: Mobile showers for San Francisco's homeless

#27

Post by runarberg »

I was homeless (living in a bus) with my girlfriend in San Francisco two years ago for 6 months and finding showers and shaving was one of the more difficult of necessities. There was a homeless facility in our neighbourhood (the Mission) that offered showers on Tuesdays and Thursdays, I usually went once a week. There was also girls only facility that my girlfriend used on Wednesday. Theoretically We could have taken the muni to other parts of the city for showers on other days, but the time and effort is usually not worth it (there is usually some 1-2 hours of waiting list involved). Other times we went to San Francisco State University for a shower. Although it's far away, the facilities are so comfy and sufficient compared to the homeless facilities that it is worth the trip, especially for shaving.

Toilets were less of a problem, we used cafés, public parks, constructions porter potties (non-padlocked), and grocery stores. And laundry was no problem at all (we just used the coin-ups).

I definitely agree with greater variability of sanitation possibilities. Especially when it comes to showers.

Re: Mobile showers for San Francisco's homeless

#28

Post by Animats »

They're "mobile" because a fixed facility would become a "homeless magnet", neighbors would object, and real estate interests wouldn't like it. Santa Monica has something called SHWASHLOCK; free showers, washing machines, and lockers for homeless people. It only serves about 125 people, though. SF has about 13,000 homeless. (In comparison, about 75,000 gays.)

SF has become more homeless-hostile as the city has become more prosperous.

Re: Mobile showers for San Francisco's homeless

#29

Post by pcrh »

cjensen wrote: post #12
pcrh wrote: post #5

I'm not sure whether to laud this or be shocked at the lack of more standard provisions. Bath houses were a feature of cities for centuries.

San Francisco has homeless shelters and a program to get transients into permanent housing. The homeless who need showers are the ones who refuse the program.

I lived in San Francisco for a number of years, so I'm familiar with this issue.

The programs are underfunded and cannot cope with homeless people who are mentally ill or addicted.

The "voluntary homeless" are more likely to be found in the Haight and Golden Gate Park than in the Tenderloin.

Re: Mobile showers for San Francisco's homeless

#30

Post by crusso »

jwilliams wrote: post #18
cgcardona wrote: post #8

I live and work in San Francisco and have tweeted many times about the extreme lack of public restrooms and the overwhelming amount of human waste littered across our beautiful city. We have an incredibly large transient population and yet there are hardly any public restrooms. It's an all too common site to see someone squatting down in the middle of the sidewalk relieving themselves. We pride ourselves on being the…

It's worth reading this article: http://www.thebolditalic.com/articles/3758-why-is-there-so-m... Homeless people were using the BART escalators as restrooms at night... causing them to break down. The solution? Multi-million dollar covers to stop people getting down there at night – not a considerably smaller sum for public restrooms. This speaks to the psychology. There is still a population in SF that believes home…

Civic or Tenderloin is ever going to change. Why?

Because the city and the electorate lack the will to deal with the problem vs doing little feel-good things that dance around the edges.

Post reply on HN