July 10, 2014
Current Events
Lava Mae has refurbished an old bus with sparkly clean toilets and showers, and the bus has already begun rounds to service homeless men, women and children throughout the city.
After securing an old bus from MUNI, Lava Mae founder Doniece Sandoval started raising money 2 years ago via crowdfunding and corporate sponsors like Google to outfit the bus with 2 full-service bathrooms. The idea is for the bus to park at various spots around San Francisco, drawing water from fire hydrants and offering the city’s homeless a free opportunity to use sanitary toilet and shower facilities. The buses are designed to self-clean after each use and will be heavily monitored so that no one tries to live or conjugate inside them. If all goes well, Sandoval says she hopes to have 3 more shower buses up and running before year’s end.
Current Events
Critics say it will be nearly impossible to keep the facilities clean, or to keep the homeless from using the bus for purposes other than it’s created intent. But Sandoval and Lava Mae are undeterred, promising that the positive benefits to the city’s thousands of homeless (with just a handful of shower facilities for them) far outweigh any presumed risk of failure.
Good to hear such a positive story these days.
I admit that I also have some of the same concerns expressed by critics.
However, if over time those concerns prove to be unwarranted, then all the more reason to appreciate such a positive story and (for many people) a much needed resource.