Local homeless organizations have banded together to provide a free shower service truck to the homeless of Bend. Tom Stutheit of Bend outfitted the truck with three shower stalls and room for a washer and dryer.

Several homeless people in Bend were asked what would improve their quality of life. The answer was simple: a shower.

Now they are getting help. A truck equipped with showers will begin serving the homeless and could be in operation as early as this weekend.

“Health, hygiene and safety is our responsibility as a community,” said Tim Bach, president of Icon City, an organization that helps those in need. “People deserve that kind of dignity.”

The shower truck is a collaborative effort of the Homeless Leadership Coalition, which includes Icon City, Central Oregon Veterans Outreach and the First Baptist Church. Volunteers will drive the mobile shower on a scheduled route.

‘Common purpose’

“It’s about relationships with every man and woman who’s on the streets,” said Ken Mays of the First Baptist Church. “Our goal is to have these three organizations working together for common purposes.”

Icon City came up with the idea after asking what the homeless thought could improve their lives. While homeless people looking to clean up often head to businesses and other facilities open 24 hours per day, Bach says such locations don’t always allow people to get fully clean.

“A lot of people will use the river to bathe, but it’s really cold and uncomfortable,” Bach said.

The U.S. Forest Service’s mobile shower facilities, which are used by wildland firefighters in remote locations, inspired the shower truck design.

Icon City paid $6,000 for a 1993 Isuzu box truck it found online in Spokane, Wash., and had the 20-foot vehicle fitted with showers.

Tom Stutheit of the First Baptist Church then spent three months getting the truck up to standards. He moved the propane tank, repaired the water pump, fixed plumbing and drain lines to prevent leaks, and added some amenities to make it more hospitable.

Stutheit “took it on as a labor of love and personally finished the truck,” COVO director Chuck Hemingway said.

The truck is equipped with three shower stations and has space for a washer and dryer. The shower system works like those on RVs and tour buses. People have responded by donating towels and other amenities.

“The showers are nicer than I have in my own house,” Bach said.

Bach said the truck will be on the road as soon as the insurance has been approved. He hopes it will make its first appearance at the Veterans Stand Down event, which will take place Saturday at Bend’s Community Center from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Stand Down is intended to help homeless veterans and struggling veterans by providing free services, meals and equipment.

“People deserve that kind of dignity,” Bach said. “I hope people can transition in Bend, and if not, they will be clean while they wait.”

How to use the shower truck

Contact Icon City through the contact link on the website, http://iconcity.us/.

Other organizations can use the truck if they are approved and provide their own insurance.