Once a week, a trailer outfitted with two shower stalls parks at the Langley Vineyard Church on Glover Road.
People facing homelessness are able to clean themselves up head-to-toe in privacy thanks to the two separated showers, each stocked with soap and shampoo. Each person who uses the service will also be given a clean pair of socks and underwear.
Langley City Councillor Leith White, pastor at the Vineyard Church, said the church has become a hub for the community over the years and showering has been an identified need.
“This is all part of bringing services to help those who are marginalized and vulnerable on the streets, and this has been needed for years,” he said.
Last Wednesday, White spoke with someone who used the shower and said it was his fifth one since before the pandemic.
White said these type of initiatives can only happen with collaboration and people working together to support them.
Pastor Leith White & Kimz Angels brought the mobile shower service for the homeless in Langley (available at the Vineyard Church every Wednesday). pic.twitter.com/gPPHaEQR8D
— Langley RCMP (@LangleyRCMP) August 25, 2023
The showers are brought in by Abbotsford-based Refresh Mobile Shower Ministry, a registered not-for-profit charity with a Christian-based vision and have provided nearly 3,000 showers since they began their work in 2019.
In addition to the clean underwear and socks provided by Refresh, Vineyard Church has a free store, in that clean clothes are given away for free in exchange for dirty ones for those who need them.
“When they come [to shower], they can select a clean set of jeans, shirt, or sweater, and have some clean clothes to change into after their shower,” White explained.
White hopes to see more similar services within Langley City.
The mobile shower units are planned to continue every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and will continue into the fall season at Vineyard Church, which is located at 5708 Glover Rd.
Also for the fall,White hopes a permanent “daytime shelter” can be created for unhoused people, one that is not triggered by extreme weather but is available every night through the winter months.
“When there’s excessive rain and cold, [we could] get some kind of facility operating where the homeless can go to and access services and get out of the elements, not just in extreme conditions,” he said.
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