‘We need help, and we need soap’: Winter demand leaves Chatham shelter short on laundry detergent

A homeless shelter in Chatham is making an urgent appeal for laundry detergent as winter weather drives up overnight demand and leaves staff struggling to keep up with the volume of blankets that need to be washed each day.

Hope Haven shared a post on Facebook this week showing piles of blankets, saying the photo represents just one day’s worth of laundry after providing shelter for people experiencing homelessness.

General Manager Loree Bailey said the shelter has been seeing between 78 and 85 people overnight, with each person typically using at least one blanket — often two — during their stay.

“Things get cold and wet overnight, or just being outside in the elements,” Bailey said. “They can come in and get a nice warm blanket or two to snuggle down somewhere and sleep, or at least rest. But we have to wash all those blankets.”

Hope Haven has been operating overnight since Nov. 1, a change Bailey said has significantly increased the amount of laundry staff and volunteers must handle.

“We easily have 10 loads of laundry just to take care of the blankets,” she said. “Never mind what the clients are bringing in when they’re doing their own laundry.”

Bailey said the shelter had built up a stockpile of detergent thanks to community generosity over the past year, but that supply has now been exhausted due to the combination of overnight operations, extreme cold and rising numbers.

“We need help, and we need soap,” she said.

Hope Haven said it can accept laundry detergent of any kind — liquid or powder, name brand or generic — and donations can be dropped off at the shelter’s back door during operating hours.

Bailey said monetary donations and gift cards to stores that sell laundry detergent are also welcome and can be arranged through the shelter’s Facebook page.

She said the growing demand reflects a shift in the role the shelter plays in the community.

“In the past, we considered ourselves a backup plan when all else fails,” Bailey said. “Right now, we are the plan for a lot of people. There is no backup.”

Bailey said staff now regularly see people lining up at 7 p.m. waiting for the shelter to open, with many staying inside through the night until doors close in the morning.

“I know how cold I am just walking from my warm house to my warm car,” she said. “I can’t imagine going for a long walk in this weather, let alone having to survive in it. Having somewhere warm to go and a clean blanket makes a huge difference.”