Most of the technology world knows about Google’s recent squabbles with residents in San Francisco. People living in San Francisco had a problem with Google using public bus routes and stops without paying for them, in order to pick up Google workers and shuttle them to their Mountain View campus.
The people of San Francisco were upset about the busses, but more importantly they’ve been upset that the valley’s largest tech companies have caused a major shift in the cost of living in the region. Rents in San Francisco and neighboring communities to Facebook, Google and LinkedIn have seen rent skyrocket sometimes 10x or more.
Well outside of the issues between these residents and Google, the company has turned to helping the neediest in San Francisco.
Through their Google Impact Challenge the global internet giant has contributed $100,000 to Lava Mae an organization in San Francisco that is “delivering dignity one shower at a time”.
After a cab ride in San Francisco where the cabbie told Lava Mae founder, Doniece Sandoval, “Welcome to the land of broken dreams” Sandoval was determined to find a way to bring change and make an impact. Her organization isn’t trying to solve homelessness but rather empower homeless people with 20 minutes of peaceful solace and the ability to take better care of themselves.
Lava Mae has converted an old San Francisco Muni Bus from 1992 into a mobile showering and hygeine facility. The bus has been outfitted with two “shower pods” which provide showers with hot and cold water, handheld shower heads, clean toilets and changing areas.
The Lava Mae busses will be on the streets of San Francisco serving the city’s 3500 homeless people who don’t have access to a shower.
These people, already down on their luck, get down on themselves when they can’t get clean enough to meet other people, go to job interviews or go into places to escape the heat or cold.
The Lava Mae shower bus program is in a pilot right now and plans to have more busses in a full program rollout in 2015.
The city donated the bus. Google provided the funding for the renovation and several other corporate and local sponsors including Laundry Locker and Kohler participated as well.
Find out more here at LavaMae.org
