Brooklyn Community Services Brings Radical Hospitality® to East New York, NY
August 3, 2021
From a donated RV to a mobile shower bus: how Brooklyn Community Services worked with LavaMaeˣ to expand hygiene, wellness, and care in East New York
Backstory: Startup and going mobile
Brooklyn Community Services (BCS) is a community non-profit organization working to empower children, youth, adults and families to overcome the obstacles they face. They work with the community to ensure opportunities for all to access an excellent education, jobs, safe and affordable housing, quality health care, and wellness programs with close to 40 different locations in Brooklyn.
In 2019, an RV was donated to the organization and soon had the inspiration to convert it into a mobile shower trailer. After a generous grant was given to design and build the best possible shower trailer, they worked with the Ford motor company and a local RV customizer to build out the custom rig with two stalls—one having enough space for ADA.
BCS debuted its shower trailer in November 2020, after numerous challenges securing permits being approved by New York City to operate the service. COVID-19 hit at the same time BCS was trying to launch which caused major problems due to government shutdowns. By the time they had finally launched the shower trailer, it was winter, which held its own assortment of problems to face. Despite these challenges, they gave their first showers in April 2021 and are now up to 50 to 60 showers per week!
Working with LavaMaeˣ
Brooklyn Community Services has used LavaMaeˣ as a mentor and model for their shower service program throughout the entire process. Representatives from BCS came out to San Francisco to see LavaMaeˣ in action by observing shower services and learning the nuts and bolts of operating with Annie Stickel, who managed San Francisco team services, partnerships, and sites at the time.
“I spent four days with Annie asking plenty of questions,” says Jodi Querbach, Chief Operating Officer of BCS, “Annie’s viewpoint gave us a new perspective on what a shower can do and the difference it can make in a person’s day. She also helped us set up a data collection strategy to improve our service, and continues to provide ongoing support.”
In addition to Annie’s mentorship and training, Joey Freid of LavaMaeˣ helped BCS with the build of its trailer and was able to give many helpful tips. Joey helped with the ins and outs of the shower trailer as he’s extremely knowledgeable of vehicle mechanics and has done much work re-configuring and designing LavaMaeˣ’s current trailer fleet.
The BCS Service Model
The goal of BCS has always been to address the needs of the community and provide those services. That’s why when on the road, BCS partners with other organizations such as soup kitchens, church groups, sports teams, and other non-profit organizations.
One of these partners is the Hunger Truck, which is a project by Muslims Giving Back aiming to quickly and conveniently give out meals on the go by minimizing preparation time. BCS recently started working with the NYC MTA to restore dignity to the unhoused population sheltering inside New York City’s subway system. Their work with the MTA’s goal is to clean up and bring out the unhoused population sheltering in NYC’s subway system. Restoring dignity is at the core of their service model.
Currently, the mobile shower trailer operates three days a week with three full-time and three part-time staff. The program also has three to four volunteers to help with service and making hygiene kits for guests. BCS plans to expand its shower services to five days a week in Brooklyn’s East New York neighborhood.
Radical Hospitality® in action
Brooklyn Community Services believes in the power of a shower. Radical Hospitality® is at the forefront of what BCS aims to use in all of its programs. They believe that people deserve the highest quality of services and should be treated with dignity and respect regardless of their ability to pay.
To BCS Radical Hospitality® is about going above and beyond. They want their community center to be somewhere you can go to get any resource you could need and if they do not have a service that the unhoused community needs they will work to make it happen.
When they are unable to run shower service, BCS will still show up to provide hygiene kits and other essential services and resources for the unhoused. Some of the other essential services they have offered are Narcan, HIV protection and testing, shelters to stay in, job resources, and mental health resources. They do this with the intention of showing the unhoused community that there is someone who cares about them and to not leave their guests behind.
Adapting to COVID-19
COVID-19 was a hard time for BCS. And for the unhoused community, it was especially difficult. Brooklyn Community Services saw a large uptick in people living on the streets when quarantine restrictions were strict. People did not feel safe living in the shelters and preferred staying on the street or in the subways.
BCS initially launched its shower service program at the start of COVID and had a slow start due to all the limitations and restrictions. Due to the massive government shutdowns, it took almost a year until they were able to really get going with their shower service. To combat COVID they amplified their safety and protective gear for all their services.
Keys to success
Finding the right people to help you move through hoops and bureaucracy
“Research your rules” in your city for what equipment is allowed
Understand the unhoused community in your city to know their needs