Two school buses are being outfitted to provide hygiene services for women experiencing homelessness in Jersey City, New Jersey, reported the South Bend Tribune.
Diamond Trailers/Specialty Vehicles, a company based out of Middlebury, Indiana, was reportedly approached by the city earlier in the year about taking on the project. The company’s director of sales and marketing, Bob Earley, told South Bend Tribune that Diamond Trailers/Specialty Vehicles was humbled by the request and that staff expects to deliver the finished buses by the middle of April.
Both of the buses, bought from Illinois Central School Bus, will have restrooms and showers installed, as well as a washer and dryer for visitors to do laundry. There will also be a lounge area added, he said.
“They’ll be able to leave the bus refreshed and proud of who they are,” Earley added. “It will have some semblance of the comforts of home.”
Earley continued that the bus hygiene stations will be moved to different locations across the city as needed, and that they will be designed to function with or without access to city utilities, including water and sewer.
Earley added that while this endeavor is currently limited to Jersey City, he wouldn’t be surprised if other cities were inspired to pursue similar projects.
“We’re all part of the same small world,” he said. “Some people are homeless for reasons beyond their control.”
