The $20,000 grant, in partnership with The Starbucks Foundation, will fund a new drop-in center providing showers, haircuts, case management, and more.
The BeHeard Movement, a Tulsa-based non-profit that helps those experiencing homelessness with its mobile drop-in center, is the recipient of grant funding from LavaMaeˣ's Hygiene for Humanity Fund. This grant program invests in mobile hygiene solutions across the United States, and thanks to its new funding partnership with The Starbucks Foundation, The BeHeard Movement has secured a new mobile drop-in center to provide Radical Hospitality to underserved communities in Tulsa.
BeHeard Movement Bakstory backstory
Evan J. Dougoud, Founder of the BeHeard Movement, has been providing services for Tulsa's unhoused community since October 2020. He eventually came across LavaMaeˣ on social media and became inspired by its Pop-Up Care Village program. He joined our 1:1 Mentorship program in July 2022 and launched BeHeard's own Pop-Up Care Village program a few weeks later. To date, Evan and his team have provided more than 1,800 showers, 1,000 haircuts, 400 loads of laundry, and over 400 case management sessions.
Funding secures a permanent drop-in center
Since launching their Pop-Up Care Village program, The BeHeard Movement has taken the program to incredible heights and has made contracts with the City of Tulsa to host events throughout the year. In addition to its Pop-Up Care Villages, the organization made plans to find a location for its new mobile drop-in center that provides a welcoming space for its outreach services. With our $20,000 grant, the organization has secured that spot!
The new center will be located at theMission Church in East Tulsa—a prominently Black and Latinx community where services are scarce. It includes two retrofitted shipping containers to provide space for case management consultations, haircuts, meals, and respite. One of its mobile shower trailers will be parked there, along with a free shuttle service where guests can call and get picked up from anywhere in Tulsa to access the center. Once opened, the drop-in center will operate six days a week, five hours a day, with future opportunities to add more services and expand outreach.
The Be Heard Movement is a 501(c)(3) non-profit helping those experiencing homelessness with our mobile drop-in center. We provide warm showers, laundry, haircuts, clothing, hygiene, case management & job opportunities. Its mission is to use Soul work and Social work to benefit the community, businesses and those experiencing homelessness.To learn more about The BeHeard Movement and its progress, you can visit their website.
