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About The Shower Bus
The BCS Shower Bus is a mobile care unit that provides hot showers, hygiene kits, and linkage to critical care for unhoused Brooklynites. In addition to physical amenities, the mobile shower unit employs outreach coordinators and Peer Specialists to assist individuals with peer counseling, helping residents gain access to housing, mental health, education, and employment resources. The only one of its kind in all of New York City, the program serves an average of 50 individuals a week throughout Brooklyn
How Does it Work?
The BCS Shower Bus has two private bathrooms fully equipped with a hot shower, a sink, and a toilet. The bus uses the NYC municipal water supply via fire hydrants and on-board heaters to provide hot showers to community members. Watch the video to learn more.
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History
Showering is a basic human right.
The BCS Shower Bus began as an expansion of Turning Point Brooklyn’s “We Care About You” shower project, which operated out of Sunset Park. In 2017, Turning Point Brooklyn merged with BCS, and together we launched The BCS Shower Bus! Watch the following video to learn more.
Currently, over 70,000 people live in New York’s shelters, but this does not include the thousands living on the city’s subway system and streets. For unhoused members of our community, especially those without access to shelter, it is often difficult to access the facilities needed for basic hygiene. With the COVID-19 crisis putting an ever-greater number of NYC residents at risk of homelessness and in need of social services, it is more critical than ever to reach this population with the care they need to get back on their feet and thrive.
Why is the BCS Shower Bus important according to BCS Staff?
Services
Shower Season runs April – November annually. Though the bus halts shower service during the winter months, we continue to serve the community with hygiene kits, clothing, and access to healthcare resources.
Weekly Schedule:
Tuesdays: East New York, Alabama Avenue and Belmont Avenue
Wednesdays: Gowanus, 4th Avenue and Sackett St-CHIPS
Fridays: Bushwick, Madison St. and Broadway
Saturdays: Flatbush, Flatbush Junction
In addition to showers, BCS Peer Counselors provide the following services at the bus:
- Free HIV and Hepatitis C Testing
- Substance use treatment with Narcan (Naloxone) kits, a medication that reverses the effect of an opioid overdose
- Linkage to healthcare resources such as PrEP & PeP, mental health services, primary care and health insurance
- Assistance with legal counseling services, housing navigation support and referrals to English Classes and vocational training at the BCS Education Center
Supporters
The BCS Shower Bus is made possible by our incredible partners, sponsors, and funders.
Contact Us
For more information about the BCS Shower Bus, please email mobilecare@wearebcs.org.
BCS works in neighborhoods impacted by systemic poverty. We strengthen communities by fostering the educational success of children, the leadership development of youth, the employment and housing stability of adults, the advancement of individuals living with disabilities, and the empowerment of seniors and families.
Brooklyn Community Services
151 Lawrence Street, Floor 4
Brooklyn, NY 11201
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