Courtesy of Brian Zhang

On Friday morning, the lot outside Una Iglesia para la Ciudad in Fair Haven crowded with residents, balloons and vans turned private shower rooms as Mayor Justin Elicker joined New Haven Housing & Homelessness Services Coordinator Velma George in a ribbon cutting ceremony for the city’s new pop-up services hub. 

Providing free showers, medical resources and professional outreach assistance, the “One Stop Pop-up” will serve homeless residents as it moves between locations. The effort came after months of communication and planning by a number of community organizations and social programs, whose leaders spoke at Friday’s ceremony. 

“This event and this initiative that we started — it took … a village to do this. I am so grateful for our partners that have decided to join us,” George said at the event. “So why [are we] here? … [We’ve been] focus[ing] on our unsheltered population that continues to grow … and developing permanent housing solutions for people.”

Emphasizing that the pandemic has brought to light how city administration should be helping the most vulnerable community members, George said that this mobile hub project is a “continuum” of existing navigational hubs in New Haven that support the homeless. Currently, there are 9 hubs dispersed throughout the city where unsheltered people can access meals, phone service and career information; the staggered schedule of the hubs ensures that residents have access to the resources all seven days per week.

What’s unique about the mobile “One Stop Pop-up,” is that it promotes and accentuates the delivery of services directly to the people, according to George. She mentioned that among the administration’s goals is to be “more intentional with [its] outreach efforts,” noting that the new popup will also connect homeless people with harm reduction resources and case management officials. 

Lowell W. Harris, a leader at Power in a Shower — one of the popup’s partner organizations — went to incredible lengths to fully understand “the needs of the people,” he said.

“In order to understand this, I became homeless. I was sleeping on the streets for a couple of weeks on and off,” he said. “We were able to get food, we were able to get clothes. We were able to use the bathrooms in the fast food restaurants, but the one thing that we couldn’t get was a shower.”

Following brief forewords from Harris, George, Elicker and other program leaders, residents who attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony were free to explore the shower vans for themselves and ask any questions they had. There was also a nearby booth where people could access more information about the city’s pop-up services through a brochure.

Basher Jamale, a victim of domestic abuse who has now been homeless for seven months, explained that city administration has been “committed” and responsive in connecting him with social services and in helping him navigate logistical and legal tasks. He mentioned that the programs often work on a “network” system, with different people he talked to referring him to additional resources in the city that are gradually getting him back on his feet.

“They’re doing a great job. I am thankful for everybody here pulling their weights together,” Jamale said. 

The “One Stop Pop-up” will operate on Tuesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at the Green and Fridays from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Una Iglesia para la Ciudad, on 99 East Pearl St.