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Washing up on wheels: Tucson trailer offers free showers to community

Tucson Housing and Community Development's Housing First brings mobile shower trailer for free to anyone who needs it.
Inside Housing First's mobile shower trailer
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TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Five days a week, Tucson Housing and Community Development hooks up a hose and sets up a Honda-brand generator.

The generator heats up the water running through the hose. The two conjoin at a large metal box on wheels: a trailer housing five bathroom stalls.

Each of these stalls has a toilet, sink, mirror and, most notably, a shower. Each guest has 15 minutes in the stall. There's a timer on the wall to keep track.

Armndo Moreno was at the mobile trailer at noon when they opened up. It was his first time visiting.

"I feel fresh," he laughed. "You get limited time, but its enough time to do what you have to do to be clean.”

On Monday, 18 people showered in the mobile trailer while it was parked outside of Caridad Community Kitchen.

Housing First's outreach specialist said they see a few users multiple times, and they're on a first-name basis.

"We’ve gotten an excellent response," he said. "We have a handful of regulars. They’re looking for the shower trailer.”

The mobile shower trailer travels around Tucson during the week. It parks at Caridad Community Kitchen on Mondays and at the Primavera Foundation on Thursdays. The rest of the week's schedule is below.

This Week's Schedule:

- Monday: 12 -4pm at Caridad Community Kitchen

- Tuesday: Working on finalizing this day due to changes at Zion City

- 1st Wednesday of the month at Stand Up for Kids 11:30am -3pm

- Other Wednesdays: 11a-2p St. Francis Men’s Shelter

- Thursday: 8a-12p Primavera Drop-in Center

- Friday: alternating weeks at Casa Maria 7a-11a and Goodwill Rec 12p-4p

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Alex Dowd is a multimedia journalist at KGUN 9, where her work combines her two favorite hobbies: talking to new people and learning about the community around her. Her goal is to eventually meet every single person in Tucson. Share your story ideas with Alex via email, alex.dowd@kgun9.com, or connecting on Instagram or X.