By Moses Malone
On a beautiful, chilly morning, amid the city sounds of traffic and train rumbles, laughter and cries of joy fill the streets of Chattanooga, Tennessee. These cheerful groups stand outside a mobile trailer that promises a hot, steamy shower for the unhoused and those who need a helping hand. On the side of the trailer, the word “ShowerUp” reads: a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing hope, love, and compassion to the Chattanooga community.
“ShowerUp, in my own words, is this non-profit that is there for other people…we want to evaluate the dignity that they [the unhoused] already have and let them know what they’re really worth,” said John Justin Lin, a ShowerUp Operational Manager.
ShowerUp’s journey began 10 years ago, when Paul and Rhonda Schmitz handed out sandwiches to the unhoused. They built relationships with people on the streets and realized that they could do more than provide meals. The couple asked themselves: What do people need most? The answer to that wasn’t money, food, or clothes; it was a regular shower. Since then, a mobile community built on compassion has expanded from Nashville, TN, to Chattanooga in June 2023.
The trailer is equipped with sinks, mirrors, and showers, providing unhoused people with a space to feel physically and mentally refreshed. “They can take as long as they need and as quickly as they can,” said Sylvie Lawrence, another ShowerUp volunteer.
Lin estimates that “over 100 showers a month” are provided in Chattanooga alone. Each shower includes towels, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, a shower kit, and other personal care items provided by volunteers.
Lin emphasizes that volunteers are the heart of the operation. Without volunteers and local partners, ShowerUp wouldn’t be able to provide the services it does to the unhoused. There are numerous roles that volunteers can play at the nonprofit. They can sign up to be a Shower List Manager, who approaches unhoused individuals and writes their names on a list for people waiting for showers. Another role is the Shower Prep Crew, which prepares the showers after each use.
Some volunteers serve as a Towel and Toiletry Table Attendant. This is where unhoused people can obtain a toiletry kit, a towel, clothing, and other items needed to prepare for a shower. Volunteers can serve as Treats/Drinks providers, preparing food and drinks for attendees. One of the most critical volunteer roles is simply talking and listening to people.
First-time volunteers usually arrive at a ShowerUp event unsure what to expect. But toward the end of the event, they usually leave with a new perspective. “Within an hour or two, they’d say, ‘I had no idea how kind everyone is,’’’ said Lin.
By building connections with others, individuals can break generalizations and stereotypes. “We assume someone isn’t trying…But we don’t know their story. We all need to be picked up sometimes,” said Lin.
ShowerUp’s impact goes beyond its immediate volunteers, but also to other nonprofits and churches throughout the city. Churches, kitchens, and healthcare facilities serving unhoused people have allowed ShowerUp to place its units in their parking lots, shelters, and sites. This allows the nonprofit to branch out throughout the city and grow its community. “People can see it,” Lin explains. “They give, and then they see that truck moving around the city.”
These showers rotate among Broad Street, Chattanooga Foundation, 11th Street, Chubbie’s BBQ on Rossville Boulevard, Market Street, Hixson Pike, and Martin Luther King Boulevard. It is a consistent but sustainable cycle provided by local partners, churches, and volunteers.
At the end of every event that Lin attends, he watches people leave with washed hair, smiles on their faces, and hope in their hearts. “It had nothing to do necessarily with the shower,” said Lin. “It had to do with the dignity we can create by providing love, community, and a place to feel human again.” ShowerUp hasn’t just made an impact on the unhoused; it has also influenced the Chattanooga community. Spreading love, compassion, but most of all, hope for those who need it the most.