COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
OFFICE OF COUNCILMEMBER BROOKE PINTO
THE JOHN A. WILSON BUILDING
1350 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, N.W., SUITE 106
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20004
September 24, 2024
Nyasha Smith, Secretary
Council of the District of Columbia
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Secretary Smith,
Today, I, along with Councilmembers Matthew Frumin and Charles Allen, am introducing the “Hygiene
and Laundry Access Pilot Program Act of 2024.”
As we work to ensure that all District residents have what they need to truly prosper, we must consider the
needs of our unhoused residents and the unique barriers that they face to accessing economic opportunity.
As of January 2024, an estimated 5,616 individuals are experiencing homelessness in the District––a
fourteen percent increase compared to the previous year.1 Access to shower and laundry facilities is a
great need for unhoused residents as well as residents experiencing housing instability. It is essential to
physical and mental health and important for accessing employment. To respond to this need, this bill would
require the Department of Public Works (“DPW”) to establish a pilot program to provide grants to
organizations to purchase and manage public shower and laundry facilities.
The District currently only has a limited number of publicly accessible showers. Meetings with our
Advisory Neighborhood Commissioners and homeless service providers have demonstrated that there is an
outstanding need for additional shower services that are easily accessible to residents and available in each
quadrant of the District. Residents in need of these facilities face many barriers, including transportation
access and hours of availability. Additionally, many residents need laundry facilities in conjunction with
showers to support their hygiene needs.
This pilot program is modeled after similar programs in Hyattsville, Maryland, and around the country that
have offered mobile hygiene units that provide shower and laundry facilities. These programs have
successfully used mobile trailers that can be moved to different locations to meet needs across a broader
geographic area. The pilot would require at least four sites, including one in each quadrant of the District
and ensuring that at least one site is located east of the Anacostia River.
Should you have any questions about this legislation, please contact my Legislative Director, Linn Groft,
at lgroft@dccouncil.gov or (205) 440-7600. Thank you.
Best,
Brooke Pinto
1Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, Homelessness in Metropolitan Washington: Results and
Analysis from the Annual Point-in-Time (PIT) Count of Persons Experiencing Homelessness (May 15, 2024) at 10.
 _____________________________ _____________________________
Councilmember Matthew Frumin Councilmember Brooke Pinto
_____________________________
Councilmember Charles Allen
A BILL
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IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
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1 To establish a pilot program to provide grants to organizations that will purchase and manage
2 public shower and laundry facilities in the District.
3
4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this Act
5 may be cited as the “Hygiene and Laundry Access Pilot Program Act of 2024”.
6
7 Sec. 2. Establishment of Third-Party Public Shower Facility Pilot Program.
8 (a) The Department of Public Works (“DPW”) shall establish a pilot program to provide
9 grants to organizations for the purpose of establishing and managing publicly accessible shower
10 and laundry facilities.
11 (b) Within 30 days after October 1, 2025, the Mayor shall solicit proposals from
12 organizations to provide public shower and laundry facilities in the District.
13 (c) Pursuant to the solicitation provided for in subsection (b) of this section, DPW shall
14 provide a grant to each selected organization and enter into a Memorandum of Understanding
15 with each selected organization requiring that the organization:
16 (1) Purchase or otherwise provide at least one (1) public shower facility in the
17 District of Columbia that:
18 (A) Is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990,
19 approved July 26, 1990 (104 Stat. 327; 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq.); and
20 (B) Has running water for showers, or can access running water through a
21 municipal water connection;
22 (2) Provide necessary supplies for use of the shower, including shampoo,
23 conditioner, body wash, disposable razors, washcloths, and towels;
24 (3) Provide equipment and supplies for clothing laundry;
25 (4) Make the facility available to the public at least twelve days each month for at
26 least six hours a day, with a portion of the hours taking place between 3:00 PM and 9:00 PM;
27 (5) Provide adequate staff to facilitate the public’s safe and secure use of the
28 shower and laundry during the hours the facility is in operation;
29 (6) Offer secure, temporary storage for individuals to store their belongings while
30 using the shower and laundry facilities; and
31 (7) Collect data and provide reports to DPW at least every six months on:
32 (A) Public shower and laundry facility usage by date and time;
33 (B) Incidents of misuse or vandalism;
34 (C) How facilities were accessed;
35 (D) Cleanliness; and
36 (E) User experience.
37 (d) In the case of dangerous weather conditions, such as below-freezing temperatures or
38 severe thunderstorms, occurring on the day an organization has scheduled shower availability,
39 the organization shall make a reasonable attempt to reschedule the relevant hours within the
40 same month or the immediately following month.
41 (e) DPW shall consult with the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services to select
42 facility locations that will meet the needs of unhoused residents and shall ensure that the initial
43 locations of facilities include:
44 (1) At least one facility that primarily operates Downtown within the Northwest
45 quadrant of the District;
46 (2) At least one facility that primarily operates within the Northeast quadrant of
47 the District;
48 (3) At least one facility that primarily operates within the Southeast quadrant of
49 the District;
50 (4) At least one facility that primarily operates within the Southwest quadrant of
51 the District; and
52 (5) At least one facility that primarily operates east of the Anacostia River.
53 (f) Within 1 month after the completion of the pilot program, DPW shall provide
54 information to the Council and the Mayor that includes:
55 (1) Total cost of the program, and a breakdown of those costs;
56 (2) Monthly facility usage rates for each facility;
57 (3) Data related to how customers accessed the facilities;
58 (4) Any incidents of misuse or vandalism; and
59 (5) Data related to user experience.
60 Sec. 3. Rules.
61 The Mayor, pursuant to Title I of the District of Columbia Administrative Procedure Act,
62 approved October 21, 1968 (82 Stat. 1204; DC Official Code § 2-501 et seq.), may issue rules to
63 implement the provisions of this Act.
64 Sec. 4. Applicability.
65 This Act shall apply upon the inclusion of its fiscal effect in an approved budget and
66 financial plan, as certified by the Chief Financial Officer to the Budget Director of the Council in
67 a certification published by the Council in the District of Columbia Register.
68 Sec. 5. Fiscal impact statement.
69 The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal
70 impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975,
71 approved October 16, 2006 (12 Stat. 2038; DC Official Code § 1-301.47a).
72 Sec. 6. Effective date.
73 This Act shall take effect following approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the
74 Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), a 30-day period of congressional review as
75 provided in section 602(c)(l) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December
76 24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; DC Official Code § l-206.02(c)(l)), and publication in the District of
77 Columbia Register.