Shower The People

What Shower The People does

Shower The People is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Nashville, TN, founded in 2017 to address an unmet hygiene need among individuals experiencing homelessness in Davidson County. Its core premise is that only 15 walk-in showers are accessible to Nashville's unhoused community with limited days and hours, and the organization delivers mobile shower and laundry services directly to that population with no questions asked, no paperwork, and no proof of need required. Beyond unhoused individuals, the organization also serves low-income MNPS families via the Handle with Care program and encampment residents through recurring weekly laundry visits.

The organization's core assets are two physical service platforms. The first is a retrofitted 1990 International 3800 school bus with two full private bathrooms, 200 gallons of onboard water storage, and the ability to connect to external hydrant systems for higher-volume operation. The second is a mobile laundry trailer containing four stackable units, launched in 2021. Both platforms operate from scheduled host locations, including Asaph's Chamber at Belmont Church on Thursdays and the Tennessee Justice Center on alternate Saturdays, plus direct encampment visits. Services are accompanied by take-home hygiene kits containing soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, razors, and new socks and underwear.

The business model is contribution-based: Shower The People generates no revenue from service recipients and is funded entirely through grants and donations from foundations, corporations, and individuals. Capital purchases to date (the original shower bus and the 2021 laundry trailer) were enabled by multi-foundation grants and in-kind build support from corporate partners including Kohler, 84 Lumber, Lowes, and Golden Rule Construction. The organization operates with five paid staff plus AmeriCorps members, an active board and advisory board, and a volunteer-led service delivery model channeled through Hands On Nashville. Since launching, it has provided over 8,000 showers and distributed more than 500,000 hygiene items.

Name

Shower The People

Legal name

Shower The People

Website

https://showerthepeople.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Shower The People is a Nashville-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 2017, that provides mobile shower and laundry services via a retrofitted school bus and laundry trailer to individuals experiencing homelessness in Davidson County.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile Hygiene Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Drycleaning and Laundry Services (except Coin-Operated) (812320)

SIC

Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) Emergency Services (BPAGAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) (BPAGABAC), Commercial / Small-Business Wash-and-Fold (Salons, Gyms, Spas, Airbnb Hosts) (HSAJABAE)

Keywords

• Mobile shower services
• Mobile laundry services
• Homeless outreach
• Hygiene services
• Nonprofit services

Headquarters

HQ city

Nashville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: Shower The People is funded entirely through grants and donations from foundations, corporations, and individual donors. No revenue is generated from services as they are provided free of charge to those in need.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Shower The People operates a mobile shower and laundry service program for people experiencing homelessness in Nashville, TN. Services are delivered from a retrofitted 1990 International 3800 school bus equipped with two private bathrooms and a mobile laundry trailer with four stackable units, alongside distribution of hygiene kits containing soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, razors, new socks, and underwear. All services are provided free of charge with no paperwork or proof of need required.

Product overview

Shower The People is a nonprofit organization offering mobile shower and laundry services to people experiencing homelessness in Nashville, Tennessee. The organization operates two primary service lines: a Shower Program utilizing a retrofitted 1990 International 3800 school bus with two private shower stalls, and a Laundry Program employing a mobile trailer with four stackable units. Both services are accompanied by distribution of hygiene kits containing essential personal care items. Since launching in 2017, the organization has provided over 8,000 showers and distributed 500,000 hygiene items.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shower Program Mobile shower service delivered from a retrofitted 1990 International 3800 school bus with two full private bathrooms, 200-gallon water storage, and the ability to connect to hydrant systems. Operates at scheduled locations throughout Nashville providing showers, hygiene supplies, and take-home hygiene kits to people experiencing homelessness.
• Laundry Program Mobile laundry services provided via a trailer containing four stackable units. Includes an encampment-based weekly laundry service for homeless encampments and the Handle with Care program for low-income MNPS (Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools) families referred through partner programs like MNPS HEROS.
• Hygiene Kits Take-home hygiene supply kits distributed during shower services, containing soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, razors, new socks, and underwear. Provided to guests receiving shower or laundry services at no charge.

Quantifiable outcome

• 8,000+ showers provided since 2017
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MNPS HEROS ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Referral partner for the Handle with Care program, referring low-income MNPS families for free laundry services.
• VOAD (Tennessee Voluntary Organizations Active in Natural Disaster)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Meredith Jaulin serves as voting board member representing Shower The People in Nashville's VOAD branch, focusing on disaster preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery for unhoused populations.
• Lava MaeminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017San Francisco-based organization that inspired Shower The People after Meredith Jaulin watched a YouTube video about their mobile shower services.
• KohlercoreOthersContributed to the build-out of the shower bus along with other organizations.
• 84 LumbercoreOthersContributed to the build-out of the shower bus along with other organizations.
• LowescoreOthersContributed to the build-out of the shower bus along with other organizations.
• Golden Rule ConstructioncoreOthersContributed to the build-out of the shower bus along with other organizations.
• Tennessee College of Applied TechnologycoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerContributed to the build-out of the shower bus along with other organizations and individuals.
• Hands On Nashville (United Way Greater Nashville)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVolunteer sign-up platform partner. Interested volunteers can sign up through Hands On Nashville to serve with Shower The People.
• The ContributorminorGTM or Marketing PartnerNashville-based newspaper sold by neighbors climbing out of homelessness. Ran article about Shower The People's shower bus that led to Meredith joining the organization.
• Open Table NashvilleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal nonprofit organization admired by Shower The People for their focus on serving unhoused individuals and community organizing work.
• Asaph's Chamber at Belmont ChurchcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHost site for weekly Thursday shower services (located behind The Well Coffee on 16th Ave).
• Tennessee Justice CentercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHost site for bi-weekly Saturday shower services (located on Lafayette St).

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Mercy Chefs: Mobile disaster-relief organization providing chef-prepared meals to disaster victims and the unhoused. Operates a comparable vehicle-based mobile-delivery humanitarian model and partners with disaster-response networks (including VOAD), making it a strong operational parallel even though the core service is food rather than hygiene.

Others

• Mobile Loaves & Fishes: Austin-based nonprofit operating mobile food trucks serving people experiencing homelessness, plus a large supportive housing community. Closely parallels STP's mobile-delivery service architecture (vehicle-based, schedule-driven, volunteer-staffed) even though the service line is food rather than hygiene.
• Matthew 25: Ministries: Cincinnati-based humanitarian aid nonprofit that distributes hygiene products, food, and supplies domestically and internationally, with strong disaster-response capability. Comparable as a nonprofit supplying hygiene kits in disaster and homeless-services contexts.
• Clean the World: Global nonprofit focused on hygiene — recycling soap and distributing hygiene kits to homeless and disaster-affected populations. Comparable on the hygiene-kit distribution side of STP's model (500,000+ items distributed), and a potential upstream hygiene-kit supply partner.

Direct peers

• ShowerUp: Mobile shower nonprofit serving people experiencing homelessness in the San Diego area using converted vehicles. Directly comparable in mission (mobile showers + hygiene kits for the unhoused) and operating model (vehicle-based service delivery).
• Lava Mae: San Francisco-based nonprofit that pioneered mobile shower and hygiene services for people experiencing homelessness. STP founder Meredith Jaulin explicitly modeled the organization after Lava Mae after watching their operations video, making Lava Mae STP's closest direct conceptual peer.

Broad incumbents

• The Salvation Army: National humanitarian organization operating shower, laundry, shelter, and meal facilities across the U.S. A broad incumbent with overlapping WASH and emergency relief capabilities, though delivered primarily through fixed facilities rather than mobile units.
• People Assisting the Homeless (PATH): Large West Coast nonprofit providing supportive housing, hygiene services, and outreach to people experiencing homelessness. Comparable as a more established, multi-service WASH-and-housing peer with broader programs but overlapping hygiene-access mission.
• Nashville Rescue Mission: Established Nashville nonprofit providing emergency shelter, meals, and recovery services to people experiencing homelessness. Operates as the dominant brick-and-mortar incumbent in STP's exact geography, offering overlapping hygiene/shelter capabilities as part of a much wider portfolio.

Regional players

• Open Table Nashville: Nashville-based nonprofit advocating for and organizing around homelessness and affordable housing. Directly comparable on mission and geography, and listed by STP as an admired local peer, though focused on advocacy and community organizing rather than direct WASH service delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/showerthepeoplenashville
• Xx.com/showertheppl

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Shower The People