Mobile Community Shower & Wellness Services Brings Radical Hospitality to the New York City
August 15, 2022
Launching in the Bronx, Mobile Community Shower & Wellness Services fulfills a dream of community redemption
Backstory
Sam Cabassa was incarcerated for 34 years, and there he decided to dedicate his life to rebuilding the community he tore down as a result of his past actions. When he came to LavaMaeˣ, Sam was a substance abuse counselor at Bellevue Hospital in New York City and worked with many patients who had a hard time accessing showers and wanted to do something about it. He set aside most of his personal savings to buy his trailer and joined our 1:1 Mentorship program in January 2020 and launched Mobile Community Shower & Wellness Services (MCSWS) in August 2022.
How LavaMaeˣ Helped
Over the course of two years, Sam worked with Amber Wise, LavaMaeˣ Programs & Impact Director, to make his dream a reality. Amber helped Sam with presentations for potential service partners and government officials, walked him through trailer design and purchasing, connected him to other mobile shower providers in the area to observe and train, and was there to guide him through troubleshooting and other setbacks.
Amber coached Sam on the best practices for delivering Radical Hospitality, sending him LavaMaeˣ toolkits that provide proven models on budgeting, supplies, and staffing, and connected him to various fundraising resources.
Sam’s commitment to launching his own program and achieving huge milestones resulted in LavaMaeˣ granting MCSWS $10,000 to secure its trailer launch.
Service Model
MCSWS provides showers three days a week with one shower trailer with two standard stalls in the Bronx.
MCSWS brings haircuts, clothing, laundry meals, addiction counseling, harm reduction, case management, and linkage to other services alongside his showers.
MCSWS is a Registered Opioid Overdose Prevention Program partnering with the New York State Department Of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH).
