Funding Mobile Hygiene Centers $2.3M Contract

Note: A May 2025 news reported cited these statistics

"The Shower of Hope" is a city-funded service that provides mobile showers and resources to people in need, contracted under LA Sanitation's Care Mobile Hygiene Unit program.
"In the last 12 months, May to April of this year, we did over 37,000 showers, 23,000 being on Skid Row," said Mel Tillekeratne, co-founder and executive director of Shower of Hope."

Therefore:
37,000/52(weeks) = 711 people receiving a shower/week
23,000/52(weeks) = 442 people on Skid Row receiving a shower/week

There are 43,699 people living on the streets in Los Angeles, per the 2025 Greater Los Angeles Homeless Count. Roughly 2% are taking a shower via the City funded Mobile Hygiene Units.

The Mobile Shower Program began in 2019 with a budget up to $200,000. It was a joint City & County pilot program. Now, the $2.3M contractual services for the Mobile Hygiene Centers Program, and related matters, by the City of Los Angeles, is up for discussion on Thursday 8/7/25, continuing from August 1st discussions.

Note: This is not the same Hygiene program as the toilet/washing station of which there was budgeting and contract issues in 2023/2024 as reported by LA Taco in April 2023 & July 2023 & LA Public Press in December 2023. 

AMEND the Mayor’s Proposed Budget for 2025-26 to relative to instruct the CAO, with the assistance of the CLA, to identify $2,345,000, of non-general fund dollars to restore the contractual services for the Mobile Hygiene Centers program, to determine if there are any cost savings that can be identified to reduce the amount needed to continue the program, and to identify workforce development funds that can be used to supplement the program.  Council and Committee Meeting Calendar | Office of the City Clerk   

August 8th LA City Council Meeting Agenda

Background: 

• 2025
  • Mayor Bass's office says the initial proposed budget included full funding for the mobile hygiene program prior to last week's city council vote on the revised plan. LA Mayor allowed Portable Hygiene program contract to fall through
  • League of Women Voters Homelessness Study Team submits an updated position statement on homelessness "... If this funding is not restored by July 1, many vulnerable Angelenos experiencing homelessness will lose a service that affords them dignity and respect and, critically, an opportunity to make themselves presentable for work ....and job interviews."
    • Free mobile shower service left out $14B LA budget – NBC Los Angeles
• 2024 - League of Women Voters Homelessness Study Team completed a multiyear, in-depth study of
  homelessness policy   Clearinghouse - The Crisis of Homelessness in the City of Los Angeles 
• 2023 - December
  • Budgets July 2023 - July 2024 20-1524-S1_rpt_cao_05-12-2023.pdf  *
    
• 2021- Urban Alchemy partnered with the City of Los Angeles Mayor’s Office to design, build and pilot the CIRCLE (Crisis and Incident Response through Community Led-Engagement) program
  Mobile Shower Program Offers Improved Hygiene, Dignity

• 2020  -
  • December 2020 -  CARE – Cleaning & Rapid Engagement – - LA Sanitation Brings Dignity to the Streets 
    • The CARE team has six hygiene trailer, and seven more custom-designed units are on the way before the end of the year. 
    •  LA Sanitation’s Livability Services Division provides services focused on protecting the public health and the environment. These programs include the 
      • Mobile Hygiene Unit - consisting of 20 City employees, with additional services contracted to Urban Alchemy, has now provided nearly 18,900* showers to homeless LA  residents  UA: Support Services for Homelessness Hygiene   
      • Clean STAT Street Indexing Program
      • Public Receptacle Program
      • Comprehensive Cleaning and Rapid Engagement Team – our CARE Teams. All of these programs work under the Division of Livability Services.  

*NOTE: if a person gains access to the showers once a month x 12. Then it would calculate out to 1,575 people used this service. 18,900/12= 1,575

• January 2020 "In order to improve public health and hygiene for those experiencing homelessness, LAHSA is set to continue funding mobile shower services through 2022." LA County Mobile Shower Program Offers Improved Hygiene, Dignity 
  
• 2019 -
  • October 2019, Mayor Eric Garcetti launched the CARE – Cleaning and Rapid Engagement – teams as part of a wraparound approach to service for unsheltered residents in Los Angeles. The CARE team started with one hygiene trailer
  • February 2019 -County Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Hilda Solis received approval for a pilot program offering mobile showers. After six months, the Board of Supervisors authorized spending up to $200,000 to expand the mobile shower program. 
    • Shower of Hope, was contracted to provide mobile showers five days a week in different parts of the city and county.
    • With Shower of Hope’s contract ending June 30, 2020, LAHSA has issued a request for proposals for a mobile shower provider to cover the term of April 1, 2020, through June 30, 2022, paid for by about $750,000 in Measure H funding.

• 2015 - August 2015, WeHOPE launched Dignity on Wheels (DoW), a mobile hygiene service that provides free showers and laundry services to the homeless in 5 counties and 20 cities throughout the Bay Area and Los Angeles. Comprehensive case management support is provided to address a variety of individual challenges including job loss, illness, and food insecurity. Mobile Homeless Services — WeHOPE

• 1993
  LAHSA is a joint powers authority of the city and county of Los Angeles, created in 1993 to address the problem of homelessness in Los Angeles County. LAHSA is the lead agency in the HUD-funded Los Angeles Continuum of Care, and coordinates and manages federal, state, county, and city funds for programs providing shelter, housing, and services to people experiencing homelessness. About LAHSA

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