EDITORIAL: ‘It’s a human dignity thing’

County and city officials have devoted considerable time and money in recent years to attack the local homeless problem. Last year, the Las Vegas City Council approved $23 million to expand the Courtyard Homeless Resource Center. Clark County officials have set aside millions in fees generated by marijuana business licensing on initiatives designed to get the homeless into long-term shelter.

But sometimes more modest efforts can also pay dividends.

On Monday, Clark County, Caesars Entertainment and the Caesars Foundation announced financial support for a program that brings mobile shower trailers to various nonprofits in the valley and allows those living on the street the opportunity to freshen up and rejuvenate themselves. The effort is run by the nonprofit Clean the World.

“At the end of the day, it’s just a human dignity thing,” said Clark County Commissioner Tick Segerblom. “The fact that you could have somebody who’s living on the streets have a shower just for minutes, they can feel like a human being.”

Under the program, trailers rotate among a number of local agencies and include private stalls with showers, sinks and toilets. Users check in and are allotted 20 to 30 minutes after receiving a kit that includes soap, shampoo, toothpaste and other hygiene products. One four-stall mobile unit costs about $250,000 a year to operate.

Other services will also be available.

“In addition to getting a shower, they can meet with somebody that can help them from the job placement perspective, a drug rehabilitation perspective, mental health perspective, legal issues, etc.,” said Shawn Seipler, founder of Clean the World. “What we see happens is as folks come to us to shower on a regular basis, they start to build relationships with those that are here.”

Clean the World brought its first shower trailer to Clark County in 2017 through a partnership with Sands Cares. Two other trailers are currently operating here. The financial support from Caesars groups will allow additional expansion and ensure the program continues for at least three more years.

Similar programs exist in many warm-weather locales and have proven successful. “The balance of privacy (in the shower), communal connection (before and after the shower) … is what makes mobile hygiene services so healing,” wrote homeless advocate Lilah Beldner about a similar effort in California. “These principles are a critical step to leading a sustainable and healthy life, yet they are the two principles unhoused individuals lack most.”

Clean the World’s mobile shower trailers are a highly worthwhile endeavor. Kudos to the county and Caesars for stepping up to the plate.