Aurora, CO

Aurora provides shower trailer for people experiencing homelessness

David Heitz

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Photo byCity of Aurora

By David Heitz / NewsBreak Denver

(Aurora, Colo.) A shower trailer serving people experiencing homelessness will remain in use in Aurora.

The Aurora City Council approved Monday a contract with Clean the World to operate the trailer through Nov. 1, 2023. Aurora is using $238,700 in American Rescue Plan Act money to pay for it.

Last year the city purchased the shower trailer from Clean the World. The trailer is used to provide showers to residents of Aurora’s Safe Outdoor Spaces.

The trailer is branded “Fresh Start Wash and Wellness.” It has provided showers to almost 1,900 people over 178 days of service, according to city officials. More than 100 ADA-accessible showers have been provided. Workers have distributed almost 2,000 hygiene kits. Clean the World has provided wraparound services to more than 900 people in Aurora.

“Our program combines the use of mobile showers with WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene) education, and Wellness (COVID-19 testing, hepatitis A and C vaccinations, and illness prevention) services, through strategic partnerships with community service providers and host sites,” Jessica Prosser, director of housing and community services, explains in a memo to City Council.

The council did not discuss the trailer contract. Mayor Pro Tem Francoise Bergan thanked Emma Knight, manager of homeless programs for Aurora, for answering questions she had previously submitted.

Green Valley Ranch East park named

Also Monday, the council agreed to name a park in the Green Valley Ranch East neighborhood “Windy Plumes Park.” Parks and Recreation Planning Supervisor Curtis Bish said Oakwood Homes developed the park but is turning it over to the city.

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# homelessness in Aurora# people experiencing homelessne# showers for homeless people# Aurora homeless showers# Aurora homeless

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I've been in the news business 35 years, spending much of my career in editing roles at local newspapers in Los Angeles, Detroit, and the Quad-Cities of Illinois and Iowa. Upon moving to Denver in 2018, I began experiencing severe mental illness due to several traumatic experiences. I became homeless on the street for about a year before spending time in the state mental hospital. I am living proof that people can rebound from mental illness with proper treatment, even after experiencing homelessness. I consider myself a lucky guy to live in a great place like Denver. I hope my writing reflects the passion I have for living here.

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