LAS VEGAS—Clean the World, a global leader in water, sanitation, hygiene, and sustainability, has expanded its partnership with Clark County Government to operate three additional mobile showers as part of their effort to support the unhoused community of Clark County through Clean the World’s Fresh Start WASH & Wellness Program. This program has been incorporated into the County’s COVID-19 prevention plan and focuses on stemming the spread of the virus while offering illness prevention services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness across Southern Nevada. Clean the World Foundation, the nonprofit entity for the Clean the World enterprise, will be the organization that operates the new units. The Foundation will coordinate with the broader network of service providers in the County to design daily programming that offers not only access to showers and critical hygiene resources, but also additional complementary services to meet the comprehensive needs of the communities and populations being served, ranging from treatment referrals to housing assistance and more.
In 2017, Clean the World launched the inaugural Sands Cares Fresh Start WASH & Wellness Program in Las Vegas, sponsored by Las Vegas Sands. Since the program’s inception, Clean the World has delivered close to 25,000 showers, distributed 23,000 hygiene kits, and contributed towards a 15 percent decrease in the rate of homelessness within the first six months. Through this program, partner service providers have seen an increase of over 55 percent in referrals on the days that the mobile showers are scheduled. The three additional units will have access to long-established partnerships with community service providers and host sites across the region. Clean the World will combine the use of mobile showers with WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) education, and Wellness (COVID-19 testing, HEP A/HEP C vaccinations, and illness prevention) services. The expansion of the Fresh Start WASH & Wellness Program in Clark County is expected to accelerate the successful transition to housing, treatment, and job placement services for this underserved community.
In addition to daily access to twelve showers including access to four ADA compliant stalls, delivering up to 39,000 showers per year, individuals will also be able to access wrap-around services at partner host sites including free mental health or substance abuse assessments, food assistance, help getting identification, clean clothes, healthcare, veterinary care for animals, job placement training, and housing assistance. Since 2017, the Fresh Start WASH & Wellness program in Las Vegas saw a decrease in homelessness by up to 35 percent when hygiene and wellness services were offered to the community. The program aims to transition members of this community to permanent housing and, ultimately, self-sufficiency.
Three Additional Showers Fabricated
Clark County Government, through the federal CARES grant, provided the funding needed to fabricate three additional Fresh Start Mobile Showers and has been a significant partner over the years in facilitating introductions and launching this program across southern Nevada.
Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones says, “Homelessness brings blight and safety concerns to our neighborhoods and can crush the hopes and spirits of those who end up on our streets. In many cases, those experiencing homelessness are looking for help, but there are also many homeless who do not trust others and are resistant to accepting any assistance. While centered around the mobile showers, this program also connects the homeless with local organizations that provide housing, job training and other services, and sometimes provides COVID-19 testing and hepatitis vaccinations to this vulnerable population. So far, it has proven to be popular with those willing to accept help and those who are typically service-resistant, which gives us the chance to build trust with them. Expanding this program gives us the opportunity to connect with more people in need.”
“The addition of three mobile hygiene units to the Fresh Start WASH & Wellness Program in Clark County, Nevada means connecting countless more individuals experiencing homelessness and economic hardship to critical hygiene and wellness services. Through our already established network of local care providers, Clean the World’s mobile shower fleet will have the partners already in place to work together to provide over 20 additional wrap-around services to ultimately help individuals stay healthy and get back on their feet and into housing. Access to clean water, soap, and washing facilities reduces the risk of infection and illness from within the homeless population, as well as the spread of viruses like COVID-19 to the community at large,” says Shawn Seipler, Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Clean the World.
You can make a difference in your local community. Clean the World is looking for sponsors to help cover the operations of the Fresh Start WASH and Wellness Program. Businesses that want to get involved, please contact freshstart@cleantheworld.org for more information or visit: https://cleantheworldfoundation.org/freshstart/.
