Patchwork is in the middle of a remodeling project!
We’re upgrading our showers to make them better suited for the amount of use they’ve gotten in recent years. Both the men’s and women’s shower areas are being redone with mold-resistant materials and better ventilation. We’re not adding any new shower areas, but we did add an extra sink in the men’s bathroom so there will be extra space for men to shave.
At this point, we’re about halfway through the remodeling, and everyone is looking forward to the day that the new showers will be open for business. During this remodeling, Patchwork is open for our normal hours and is providing most of our normal services. The only exception is that we aren’t offering any showers until the work is complete.
We’ve been planning this work and setting aside money for a while now. We’re very grateful to Hasgoe for working with us and bringing their professional knowledge to make the project happen.
Patchwork’s showers are an example of how our programming changes and adjusts over time. When showers were first incorporated into the building plan in 1985, they were never intended for daily, year-round use. For years, they were rarely used, but then came a time when Susan needed a place for a few of her homeless clients from Aurora Evansville to shower before important appointments.
Susan has been around Patchwork for many decades and knew that there were underutilized showers here, so she brought her clients to Patchwork to clean up. Gradually, people returned on their own, hoping they could get a shower not for a specific appointment but simply to feel better because they could bathe. As word spread, more and more folks found their way to us. Below you can see a chart of the growth in showers over the past several years.
Now we average about 11 showers a day. On one record-breaking day this past February, we provided 19 showers in one morning. With each shower we provide a clean towel and an assortment of toiletries. The people who take showers at Patchwork do not have access to a home with reliable shower facilities. We are not the primary place in Evansville where they can take a shower during the day, but we provide an important alternative for people who can’t or won’t shower elsewhere.
We do our best to provide a homier, low-key environment that helps people feel comfortable when they might not feel as comfortable in a larger shelter. This is partly why we aren’t trying to add more shower areas with this remodel—the people who come to us choose Patchwork because of its smaller size.
Time and again, people thank us for providing showers. They say that getting a shower helps them feel more human at a time when their tenuous living situations strip that feeling away. Women are grateful to have a safe place to shower without fear of being assaulted. On numerous occasions, guests will leave Patchwork feeling more optimistic and less stressed after getting a shower.
Access to showers makes a huge difference in people’s lives, and we’re glad that this remodeling will help us serve our guests even better than before.
