The first mobile shower program for the homeless and others in need in the greater D.C. area launched this month in the parking lot of a Hyattsville church.

Located at 6201 Belcrest Rd. next to the Prince George’s Plaza Metro station, the First United Methodist Church of Hyattsville will host a mobile shower unit on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month starting this month.

The size of a small trailer, the mobile shower unit provides two private, secure and clean showers and bathrooms that can be used by people in need, typically those who are homeless or in poor housing situations.

Run through D.C. faith-based nonprofit The Neighborhood Well, the program costs around $1,000 a month for two days’ worth of showers. Donations to support the program go towards fuel and propane, trailer transport and storage, water usage and laundry.

The idea of showers on wheels to help the homeless came about a decade ago in San Francisco and has recently become a national trend in cities such as Charlotte, N.C.; Tulsa, Okla.; and Houston.

The Neighborhood Well is using Prince George’s County as its pilot program and hopes to expand to parking lots at other houses of worship around the D.C. area. Some neighborhood advocates in D.C. have called for the city to fund a similar effort for the estimated 9,700 homeless people in the metropolitan area.

Working in a partnership with the Prince George’s County Library System and Community Crisis Services, the nonprofit also puts together Blessing Bags, which include a toothbrush, toothpaste, socks, deodorant, shampoo and conditioner, soap, tissues, lotion and a devotional.

You can donate to The Neighborhood Well online here.

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