A warm shower. Clean clothes. A kind smile.
These seemingly small moments are making a powerful impact on the lives of Connecticut’s unhoused community, and a team from Southern Connecticut State University is helping shine a light on just how much they matter.
Students and faculty from the SHAWN Project (Stop HIV/AIDS Women’s Network), based in Southern’s Department of Social Work, recently partnered with the nonprofit Power in a Shower to evaluate New Haven’s mobile hygiene program. Their findings confirm what guests of the showers already know: clean water and human compassion can be transformational.
The study — a collaboration between faculty members Dr. Amy Smoyer and Dr. Karen D’Angelo and student researchers Mellody Massaquoi, Sam Morrison, and Emily Ziemba — involved 58 surveys and 20 in-depth interviews. Participants praised the showers for their cleanliness, privacy, safety, and friendly staff. Ratings for the service averaged 4.8 to 4.9 out of 5 across nearly all categories.
For many, the service meant renewed confidence, stress relief, pain management, and a brief sense of normalcy. As one guest put it: “It makes you feel human again.”
To learn more about SHAWN and its work at Southern, visit theshawnproject.com.
Read the full article on CT Insider: How a nonprofit organization is bringing showers and dignity to Connecticut’s unhoused community.
