
Project Outpour said it is seeing increased demand for its mobile showers for the unhoused.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. โ Federal funding uncertainty and rising community need have some of Charlotteโs advocates for the unhoused pleading for help. That includes Project Outpour, an organization offering showers, fresh clothing and support services to the Charlotte areaโs neighbors experiencing homelessness.
A warm shower and the comfort of being clean might be a dignity many take for granted. MaShonna Hughes, Project Outpourโs Chief Dignity Officer, said she sees firsthand the transformative impacts.
โWe are all struggling, battling, or we’ll have those things in our lifetime, and I know for me personally, a shower is the one thing that I run toโto release, to think, to process,โ Hughes said.


Project Outpour has five locations around the area where it brings the shower to those who need it, plus fresh clothes and other resources that might help.
โTo be able to provide this necessity of a resource to our neighbors is an area that I wish more people truly understood and saw the value in, outside of their current situation,โ Hughes said. โAt the end of the day, these are human beings.โ
Unfortunately, Hughes said the number of people needing help is increasing.
โIn November of last year, there were over 3,200 individuals who were experiencing homelessness,โ Hughes said. โThis includes young adults, families, the elder community — and that includes children as well.โ
She says Project Outpour saw a 30% increase in demand for its services last year, and with the current economic situation and uncertainty around federal funding impacting their organization, plus many others across the board, the group is bracing for strain.
โRight now, we are pretty grant-heavy when it comes to the resources to be able to sustain our services,โ Hughes said. โSo, with the current pause on HUD funding, it really creates implications and just a true unknown of how we will be able to sustain and grow to continue to meet those needs.โ


On top of that, Project Outpourโs primary way of assisting the unhousedโits pickup truck that tows mobile showers to areas of needโis on its last legs.
โWeโre currently in the search of a new pickup truck to haul our mobile showers to our current locations, and with the goal of being able to expand to additional locations here in Charlotte,โ Hughes said. โTo be able to combat this community issue, we really need the community support to continue addressing this, so that we can meet the needs of our community.โ
As of April 3, the group was more than $30,000 away from reaching its new truck fundraising goal.
Contact Vanessa Ruffes at vruffes@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X andย Instagram.ย