CHICAGO – Following the example of Pope Francis, who opened a shower room and laundry facility for the homeless in Rome three years ago, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago unveiled similar services inside its downtown headquarters.
Services also include access to a clothing donation closet and a variety of social services. The agency also will continue to serve meals to the homeless five days a week out of a renovated and upgraded kitchen.
"Our guests will have the comfort of a warm shower, toiletries, bedding, clothing," said the Rev. Michael Boland, president of Catholic Charities. "These small mercies which most of us take for granted can help preserve health and restore hope to those who live at the margins of society. They can be a first step toward a life of self-sufficiency."
For more than 17 years, Catholic Charities' headquarters has been home to an evening supper program that serves sit-down dinners and to-go meals to more than 250 individuals and families five days a week.
Guests who come for a meal on Tuesday night have a chance to sign up for a 30-minute shower slot between 10 a.m. and noon the following day. Each shower client receives a towel, soap, shampoo, toothpaste, a razor, shaving cream, deodorant and a change of clothes. Guests also will be able to use the laundry services to wash and dry their clothes and bedding.
In the first two weeks, showers have been booked solid with a waiting list each Wednesday.
The agency hopes to expand the program to more hours and days, but that capacity depends on volunteers.
The program at Catholic Charities is modeled after a similar ministry on Tuesday afternoons at Fourth Presbyterian Church on Michigan Avenue. Unlike shelters, both ministries offer bathing opportunities to clients who don't live there.
