Most people in developed countries start or end their days in the shower without a second thought. For people living on the streets, however, a hot shower is never a sure thing. People go days and even weeks without showers simply for lack of access. Jordan Verdin believes that everyone everywhere should be able to take a shower — that access to showers is a basic human right. That’s why he started Humanity Showers. Starting with Stories Verdin never intended to found a nonprofit. For him, helping people didn’t even start with showers. He was a photographer who refined his craft on the training grounds of a local newspaper. While there, he explored the art of photography and got loads of practice. He conducted interviews and snapped photos. He learned the value of connecting powerful imagery to meaningful stories. In addition to his creative endeavors, Verdin’s upbringing included a background in missions work. These early experiences sparked a passion for helping the less fortunate in his local community. He began with conversations, getting to know the people living on the streets in the North County, San Diego, CA area. Eventually, he started bringing his camera. Having built rapport with people on the streets, he started learning, capturing, and telling their stories — a project he called Street Stories. Since its inception, Street Stories has grown into a portfolio of over 800 individuals’ narratives. Verdin uses the art of interview, photography, and storytelling to fight what he calls, “implicit bias.” A term he picked up in his educational training (bachelor’s degree in “Peace Building”), implicit biases are the prejudices we hold toward certain groups of people without even realizing we have them. Verdin is literally portraying people on the streets in a different light. He highlights the fundamental dignity and humanity of humans so often ignored by society at large. Verdin views creativity as having an eye for and the ability to capture fundamental human dignity, saying as much: “dignity is designed.” This view inspired Verdin to do more. If all humans have inherent dignity, they should all enjoy the same rights. He started asking what sort of human rights were being denied to people experiencing homelessness? The answer was so basic, it surprised even him: showers. Bob’s Bus In 2014, Verdin met a Vietnam War veteran named Bob. Bob became one of the first ever Street Stories subjects. He had a masters degree, but PTSD led him into addiction and eventually life on the streets. However, the impact of his relationship with Verdin extended beyond the Street Stories project. As Verdin learned more about Bob, he wanted to do more, to help him in a practical way. Bob’s story challenged Verdin to rethink his own biases about the kind of people who end up on the streets. “When you are able to have these conversations, it really just challenges what you think of when you think of someone who’s homeless.” Verdin maintained a weekly relationship with Bob. He got him a shower, a haircut, and clothing. He helped Bob track down vital documentation, apply for benefits, and ultimately get off the streets. After getting back on his feet, Bob started working on his doctoral dissertation again and living life as the brilliant, educated man he had always been. Sadly, on May 22nd, 2015, Bob passed away due to liver disease. But his story is impacting hundreds of people on the streets to this day. It laid the groundwork for what would become Humanity Showers. After Bob’s death, Verdin launched a GoFundMe campaign that would ultimately fund the first shower trailer for Humanity Showers. The trailer adopted its final moniker so people could recognize it easily, but it was originally going to be named Bob’s Bus. Humanity is Dignity Humanity Showers now serves North County, San Diego, CA, providing its mobile shower trailers and working with local community partners to give haircuts, hygiene products, clothing, and so much more to people living on the streets. It is funded by local community members, and operated by the very people it serves — people experiencing homelessness. When Verdin asked his friends on the streets what they needed, two distinct requests emerged consistently: the need to be clean and the need to be seen. Through Humanity Showers, Verdin is providing access to cleanliness so often denied to his friends on the streets. By fighting implicit bias through Street Stories, Verdin is working to make them feel seen. He says that the people who come for the showers consistently remark, “I feel human again.” Verdin is asking everyone to slow down, see the humanity of people we so easily ignore, forge relationships with them, remember their inherent dignity, ask them what they really need, and use whatever creative skills or resources we have to meet their needs. Opportunities to serve and give back to our communities are everywhere. It only requires a bit of creativity to discover where we can affirm dignity and provide assistance to those who need it most. This mindset is contagious. But, as Verdin learned with Bob all those years ago, it is not just the less fortunate whose stories are impacted by acts of kindness. It is those who decide to serve who reap the benefits of lasting transformation. Taking the time to listen to everyone’s story, even the most marginalized and invisible in society, reminds us that humanity and dignity go hand in hand. The simple actions we take to ensure that all people in our cities enjoy the same rights can radically transform our communities. In the process, maybe we can all feel a little more human.
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