WeHOPE Celebrates 150,000 Showers for Bay Area Homeless and Opens New Office in Oakland
East Palo Alto, CA (Jul. 7, 2023) - WeHOPE, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping people experiencing homelessness, is celebrating the opening of its new office in Oakland, as well as the 150,000th shower provided by Dignity on Wheels (DoW), a mobile service program offered to the area's unhoused population.
DoW, a service of WeHOPE, began in 2015 to provide basic hygiene and promote dignity for the unhoused. Since then, the program has expanded to include mobile laundry services and a mobile health clinic. “DoW’s 150,000th shower is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the program’s staff and volunteers, who are committed to improving the quality of life for our homeless brothers and sisters,” said Alicia Garcia, Chief Operating Officer of WeHOPE.
The celebration was open to the community and held at West Side Missionary Baptist Church in Oakland. The event included free food, hygiene kits, a ribbon cutting, and featured remarks from WeHOPE staff including Pastor Paul Bains, Co-founder and President, and Reverend Ken Chambers, pastor of West Side Missionary Baptist Church.
Introducing New Oakland Office and Point of Distribution (POD)
WeHOPE launched its new office in Oakland, located at West Side Mission Baptist Church. The office will welcome clients and offer case management services. In addition to the free-standing office, a new workflow called Point of Distribution (POD) where a station containing essential supplies will equip and deploy our fleet of trucks and trailers that reach surrounding areas with DoW services.
In Alameda County, a total of 37,756 DoW showers have been administered, with the majority taking place in the city of Oakland. The partnership between Interfaith Council of Alameda County (ICAC) and WeHOPE has been crucial to the program’s success in the county in reaching this significant milestone.
“We could not have accomplished what we have done without their support,” said Anita Blount, Director of DoW Operations. “Dignity on Wheels has been an essential part of our efforts to support the unhoused population in the Bay Area, and we are grateful for the hard work and dedication of our staff, volunteers, leadership, and the community that has embraced us.”
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ABOUT:
WeHOPE is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping the unhoused in the Bay Area become healthy, employed, and housed. We provide various services, including emergency shelter, mobile hygiene, job training, life skills training, RV Safe Parking, comprehensive case management, foodbank, and housing assistance. Our mission is to empower individuals in need with resources and solutions to help them achieve stability and independence. To learn more about WeHOPE and our programs, visit wehope.org.
