NJCRI, one of Newark's healthcare, community, and HIV/AIDS service providers, announces their partnership and the first day of service with hygiene and dignity organization, Archangel Raphael's Mission (ARM), to increase hygiene access to those in greatest need across Brick City.
The partnership will be bringing a mobile shower and restroom pilot program to Newark once per month to gauge the interest, need, and outcomes of expanded shower access to those who may be hygiene-insecure.
The first day of showers brought dignity to seven shower guests, greeted with friendly staff, volunteers, and a host of other supplies.
Everyone reading this knows that a shower is much more than clean water and soap - it's a momentary escape from the wildness of our lives, a reprieve from stress, and for those who lack access to these services elsewhere - an opportunity to feel "themselves."
This service will be augmenting NJCRI's existing shower and laundry facility - serving as a value add for existing patients and a beacon of welcome and hospitality for unhoused, runaway youth, and HIV/AIDS-affected Newark residents.
In order to accomplish the need for shower and restroom access - ARM will be towing their Mobile Hygiene Unit the last Wednesday of every month to the NJCRI parking lot located at 393 Central Ave, Newark, NJ.
The two-stall unit comes equipped with all the creature comforts of a domestic bathroom; shower, toilet, sink, mirror, as well as a high-quality personal cleanser.
Each guest consuming services will also be issued a freshly laundered towel, wash cloth, shower slippers, underwear, undershirt, and a new pair of Bombas socks. Hygiene and dignity can be an overlooked service throughout most of our social service infrastructure, especially as competing interests in housing, food, and case management are considered, but little can compare to the immediate transformation someone can have with a quick (or not so quick) shower experience.
"It's hard to truly internalize how much a shower may mean to someone when it's generally considered a basic essential in most homes and to most people." John El-Maraghy, President of ARM, said.
"However, we can all turn to a time in our lives, especially during recent covid lockdowns, when we felt fear or concern about a place to wash our hands or if a restaurant's bathroom would be 'open to the public.' This is a daily battle for many Newark residents who are hygiene-insecure."
"NJCRI is tremendously excited to partner with ARM on this project and these events. We've always been responsive to the needs of our community, and this is an important partnership that will allow our clients to receive these important hygienic services from ARM that will enable them to live their lives in a safe, healthy and dignified manner," Russell Miller, Director of Development and Communications at NJCRI said.
"We are grateful for the services that ARM is providing our clients and look forward to a fruitful and productive partnership in caring for the needs of Newark's most vulnerable and underserved populations."
This planned three-year partnership will be exploring hygiene access in Newark, what is an avatar for a typically hygiene-insecure individual, and providing proof of concept to funders and partners that hygiene and dignity services are a crucial component of the human service continuum.
Both organizations welcome donations to support this project, between laundry, waste disposal, and essential staff, providing one shower costs roughly $25.
Volunteers are also welcome and are encouraged to email john@arm.gives to sign up to join the volunteer effort.