Adequate sanitation is hard to come by for unhoused folks. When unhoused folks have a place to deficate, proper facilities to wash their hands, clean drinking water, and trash services to pick up their trash and the illegal dumping that housed folks impose on curbside comunities the public health of the entire neighborhood is improved.
We believe access to sanitation is a human right. Because the local governments fall short of providing sanitation services to our curbside residents, we created SOS. Through SOS we help take illegal dumping and trash to the dump; we provide portapotties, hand washing stations and hand sanitizer stations; and we deliver clean drinking water. Unfortunately when the community tries to solve the lack of sanitation, the city responds by criminalizing the community’s efforts. Here’s is a video from the Driver’s Plaza community, where the Village In Oakland provides portatpotty and handwashing services.