Shower Van, Library Social Worker Contracts Advance

Alders moved forward plans to boost funds for a mobile shower program and social workers in the public libraries, as part of two new city contracts designed to help New Haven’s growing homelessness population.

That was the outcome of Thursday night’s latest meeting of the Board of Alders Health and Human Services Committee. The meeting took place in-person in the Aldermanic Chamber on the second floor of City Hall.

The committee alders took no votes on two proposed homelessness services contracts — a procedural move allowing the full Board of Alders to discharge those items from committee and take an expedited final vote on them at their next meeting in July.

One contract in question is a three-year, $450,000 deal with the ​“Power in a Shower” mobile van. The other is a three-year, $210,000 deal with Liberty Community Services for social workers in the public libraries.

The first proposed contract, with Power in a Shower, seeks to improve that mobile shower van’s programs and resources. 

According to a May 25 letter written to the alders by city Department of Community Resilience Executive Director Carlos Sosa-Lombardo, this new contract would see Power in a Shower provide a total of four shower stalls with the capacity to host up to 100 showers per week. 

“People who use the shower services will also receive one hygienic care package, disposable bath towels, undergarments, feminine hygiene products, drawstring bags, T‑shirts, and socks,” Sosa-Lombardo wrote. The shower units will be available four days per week, including three mornings and one evening, for four hours each day.

City officials who presented on the matter said they hope that, after this three year deal is done, there will be enough beds in shelters for the city’s entire unhoused population, making these mobile shower services no longer necessary.

Sosa-Lombardo and Housing and Homelessness Services Coordinator Velma George explained on Thursday night the need for these funds, which were applied for under the American Rescue Plan Act.

“Our goal is to, besides providing them with showers, connect them to resources. We’ve already tapped in to various areas where we’ve identified a need for our services, but there’s still a lot of areas where we aren’t tapping in,” said George.

A program that has been working in New Haven for more than a year, Power in a Shower strives to provide dignity to people experiencing homelessness by allowing them to take showers.

Their mobile showering hubs move to areas with large unhoused populations around the city. 

As an extension of their hub program that provides resources and shelters, Power in a Shower’s mobility allows them to reach the unhoused population that is not in a shelter. They mainly operate on the New Haven Green and in the Dixwell and Fair Haven neighborhoods.

Newhallville Alder Devin Avshalom-Smith observed during Thursday’s meeting that many unhoused people in the city feel unsafe enough in shelters that they prefer to stay outside. Because of this, he said, there will likely still be a need for Power in a Shower’s mobile services even after the three-year agreement is over.

George replied that the number of unhoused people who prefer to stay outside instead of at a shelter is actually decreasing. Since the expansion of the city’s cooling and warming centers, she said, which are spots for unhoused people to escape rough climate conditions, the city has seen an increase in people wanting to stay inside. This should translate to increased use of shelters, as well.

All of the alders thanked George and Sosa-Lombardo for their efforts after the presentation had concluded.

“I think this service is very much needed, I’ve seen it in action,” said Board of Alders Majority Leader and Amity/Westville Alder Richard Furlow.

The proposed three-year deal between the city and Power in a Shower wasn’t the only agreement having to do with homelessness services that came before the committee alders on Thursday.

They also reviewed a proposed three-year contract between the city and Liberty Community Services worth $210,000. These funds will be used to ​“embed case management and social service navigation within the New Haven Free Public Libraries.”

As a separate May 25 letter written by Sosa-Lombardo to the alders explained, this three-year deal with Liberty Community Services would provide ​“low-barrier access to trauma-informed, person-centered case management and service navigation to library patrons who may be experiencing housing, health, and/or income crises. Services may include: navigating housing applications, obtaining IDs and necessary documents, referrals to health and mental healthcare, and resume help and employment search services.”

Sosa-Lombardo was joined by city Community Mental Health Initiatives Coordinator Lorena Mitchell to present on that library-social worker contract.

“People experiencing homelessness or crises often go to libraries. This has created a quality of life problem at libraries that has been best managed by employing a social worker to help these residents,” said Sosa-Lombardo. ​“This program is accessible and destigmatizing,” added Mitchell.

Currently, there is a full-time social worker employed at the Ives Main Library on Elm Street. Drop-in social workers are employed once a week at the Fair Haven and Wilson branches. With these requested funds, Liberty Community Services would be able to stabilize and give continuity to the role, which currently helps around six residents daily.

Acting City Librarian Maureen Sullivan and city library Deputy Director Luis Chávez-Brumell, who were present at the meeting and who were asked to join the discussion by Alder Furlow, both said that having a social worker on staff enhances the lives of the patrons and allows them to provide the services needed by many of them at the library.

“Public libraries receive everyone from all walks of life. Services like these can really make a difference in people’s lives,” said Sullivan.

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