The project, called ShowerBox Barking, is a joint effort by Barking and Dagenham Council, ShowerBox and Barking Churches Unite.
Located at the Barking Learning Centre, the facility offers hot showers, underwear, refreshments and a place of respite.
ShowerBox Barking aims to improve personal hygiene and help prevent illness among the borough’s homeless population.
Barking and Dagenham, like other parts of London, has seen a rise in rough sleeping, with numbers increasing by 64 per cent from 2020/21 to 2022/23.
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Poor sanitation makes homeless people more vulnerable to infectious diseases and has a significant impact on their health and life expectancy.
Councillor Maureen Worby, cabinet member for adult social care and health integration, who spearheaded the new facility, said at the launch event: “Today is a dream come true for me.
“The importance of providing access to sanitation cannot be underestimated, not just for improving personal hygiene and preventing disease, but in terms of helping to improve the life chances of some of our most disadvantaged residents.
“I am so proud of what we as a partnership of health, community and voluntary sector and the local authority have achieved with this project.”
The partnership between ShowerBox, the council, and Barking Churches Unite originated from their participation in pop-up events across the borough to support people experiencing homelessness.
These events offered food, clothing, haircuts, and showers, and allowed attendees to see a doctor without a prior appointment.
The facility at the Barking Learning Centre was made possible with funding from the Barking and Dagenham health inequalities programme.
Sarah Lamptey MBE, founder and chief executive of ShowerBox, said: “The launch of ShowerBox Barking, a partnership between ShowerBox, the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and Barking Churches is momentous for our charity.
“It’s the culmination of many years of work across our growing team, to support and lighten the loads of the lives of our guests, those who experience the hardship of homelessness every day.”
