On-Site Laundry Room
HOTC Laundry Room is an initiative to help families living in poverty have clean clothes and bedding. The typical individual or family utilizing The Laundry Room is often living in a low-income apartment/rental, a vehicle or may be homeless. The Laundry Room goes beyond clean clothing. Through this program we seek to nurture the health, hygiene, economic and relational well-being of marginalized families.
Heart of the City initiated the Wash Room after determining that for those living below the poverty line, washing clothes presents both a logistical problem and a financial hardship. In a single parent home with two children, it costs approximately $600 per year to launder clothes and bedding. This estimate is based on:
- One load per family member per week
- Washing the bedding just once a month
- The rising cost of detergent
There is a tremendous trickle down effect stemming from lack of clean clothing that ultimately affects a child’s education. Children with poor hygiene become social outcasts, which affects their self-esteem, and their desire to even come to school.
More than 500 households have used our laundry services. By providing washers and dryers, detergent and childcare in The Wash Room, we can help relieve one fiscal weight for those who struggle daily to make ends meet, thus allowing our guests to redirect their finances to food, medical care, school supplies, etc.