Serving up Dignity with Showers for the homeless

Boston, MA has outreach services for shelter and basic medical and mental health services; however, access to bathing facilities has received less attention. In order to expand the research in this area and help inform possible solutions, a needs assessment was conducted to explore the quality/accessibility of showers. Objectives: 1) Identify barriers and facilitators that impact utilization of bathing facilities; 2) Identify physical health conditions associated with irregular personal hygiene; 3) Translate knowledge of bathroom/shower facilities and known barriers into a city map; 4)Share findings with relevant stakeholders. Structured interviews were conducted at the BHCHP medical respite facility in 2016.