Doors Wide Open to start hot shower service thanks to work of community champion

A hot shower can go a long way to improving the mental and physical health of someone experiencing homelessness and soon one will be available at Doors wide Open. Doors Wide Open is set to install a shower at its Bunbury property which will give access to better hygiene for people experiencing homelessness. The shower will be open for use through the facility which pairs crucial needs like food with support services. It almost didn’t happen for the organisation which has received a $4000 grant from Rio Tinto and a further $1000 from Aqwest for the purchase and installation of the shower. The grants have come thanks to the tireless work of Rio Tinto machinery operator and self-described volunteer grant application writer Megan Kelly. Ms Kelly first saw the charity didn’t have a shower service when she went in to make a donation earlier in the year. She became determined to bridge the gap. Using her knowledge of her employer’s grants program, Ms Kelly got to work getting an application together for a grant to buy the shower. Following that success, she attended a Bunbury city grants workshop, helping her apply for the further grant to cover installation. Not satisfied with just securing the grants, Ms Kelly will also make the trip from Perth with the shower herself, a journey which would otherwise cost $1200 in delivery fees. “There is over 90 homeless people in Bunbury at the moment with no access to a shower,” she said. “It’s a basic human right to be able to have a shower and feel clean and prevent illness.” According to the organisation, there have been 700 people come through its doors since the beginning of June. Ms Kelly said the shower would contribute to the greater service Doors Wide Open provides. “It’s the whole service, it’s not just having a shower,” she said. “It’s then having a coffee afterwards and then having a good conversation with one of the support workers, and it’s working out what other things we can do to help you.” Doors Wide Open manager Mish Holzknecht said the organisation was extremely grateful. “We are very lucky to have her (Ms Kelly) because it takes a very long time to get all the criteria for a grant to be written and then submitted,” she said. The sentiment was echoed by Doors Wide Open chair Tyril Houghton, who presented Ms Kelly with a certificate of appreciation. “Doors Wide Open is fortunate to have people like Megan Kelly, using their time, talents and expertise to support those members of our community currently experiencing homelessness,” she said. The shower is expected to be installed at the organisation’s Forrest Avenue building by mid-August with those in need free to use it during Doors Wide Open’s hours of operation.