Shower the People’s mobile shower program offers one of San Luis Obispo County’s most vulnerable population the opportunity to regularly access valuable hygiene infrastructure, such as shower facilities, with privacy and dignity.

Eight years ago, our founder, Gwen Watkins, collected several local donations and formed a 501c3 to focus on showering the homeless. As an all-volunteer organization with over 60 volunteers in 2025, we continue to provide showers five days each week, rain or shine.

We always strive to provide showers for anyone who wants one. Our guests continue to receive a clean towel and washcloth, a new pair of underwear, socks, T-shirt, comb and other toiletries. We continue to coordinate with other organizations that utilize our sites to provide vital homeless services such as professional street medicine, healthcare access, onsite probation check-in, clothing, food, haircuts, AA Meetings, etc.

We are grateful for our ongoing partnership with your congregation. As we approach over 16,500 guests getting a shower or supplies in your parking lot, we see lives change for the better. Shower the People continues to share and maintain San Luis Obispo’s premier homeless internet resource site vivaslo.org.  The website is the definitive homeless resource for information in the San Luis Obispo area. Please share with your friends.

On Christmas day 2025 in pouring rain outside your doors, 17 unhoused members of our community still showed up requesting a shower or supplies, knowing we would be there to meet their needs for the day.

What a great legacy for your congregation, your members who volunteer with us, and Gwen Watkins who started with an idea that has blossomed into a leading example of both humanity and kindness, in addition to a low-cost solution to address critical needs in our community.