How a Shower Sparks Stability

Celebrating Six Years of Refresh

When people find themselves living outdoors, their daily reality is shaped by survival—finding food, staying warm, and securing a safe place to sleep each night. Fear and instability are constant. With urgent needs taking priority, long-term goals like finding stable housing or employment often feel out of reach, especially when the cost of housing, food, and other essentials continues to rise. That’s where Refresh: Hygiene & Hope fits in.

What is Refresh?

For the past six years, Refresh: Hygiene & Hope has served as a critical part of our coordinated approach to address homelessness in Ottawa County. In partnership with First United Methodist Church of Holland, Refresh provides access to showers, haircuts, personal care items, mail services, clothing, and light meals. Beyond meeting urgent needs, Refresh is a place where our neighbors find the encouragement they need to maintain hope and resilience, and become connected to the resources needed to build long term stability.

Since its launch in 2019, Refresh has welcomed guests for more than 31,999 visits, provided 10,510 showers and 1,223 haircuts, and facilitated nearly 4,900 housing-focused case management meetings. 

Each visit represents a step toward stability. Whether it’s a guest regaining a sense of dignity after a shower, finding the confidence to apply for a job after receiving clean clothing, or connecting with a case manager who can help navigate housing options, these seemingly small moments build big momentum, allowing our neighbors to move beyond survival mode and start focusing on their future. Since Refresh opened, our team has worked alongside more than 370 neighbors who have moved into safe, stable housing—many of whom engaged with Refresh regularly to meet urgent needs and connect with critical housing resources.

How a Shower Fits into the Housing Journey

Ending someone’s experience with homelessness isn’t just about finding housing—it’s about breaking down the daily barriers that prevent our neighbors from securing and maintaining a safe, stable place to call home.

• Imagine spending your days focused on finding food and shelter instead of searching for an apartment or a job. 

• Imagine finally having the opportunity to apply for a job, only to find that the application requires an ID—a critical item that is often lost or stolen when living outdoors. 

• And to get an ID, you need an address– a huge barrier when you don’t have a permanent place to live. 

• Then, imagine trying to feel prepared for an interview without a place to shower, and without clean clothes to wear. 

This is a reality that too many of our neighbors face.

By meeting our neighbors where they are and ensuring their basic needs are met, Refresh creates a critical first step toward stability. After taking a shower, having a meal, or simply experiencing the comfort of a warm, welcoming space, guests can begin to shift their focus beyond survival. Onsite at Refresh, our neighbors have the opportunity to connect with our team to address challenges and navigate available resources, ensuring they’re equipped with the tools, knowledge, and skills needed to achieve safe, stable housing and build a foundation for a brighter future.

The Bigger Challenge: A Lack of Affordable Housing

While Refresh plays a critical role in helping neighbors move toward stability, effective long-term solutions for our community depend on increasing the availability of housing that meets a variety of needs. Right now, Ottawa County is facing a severe housing shortage—rental housing vacancy sits at just 1%, far below the 5-6% considered healthy for a balanced market (United Way, 2021). With so few available units, competition drives up prices, making it even harder for our neighbors to afford housing. There are not sufficient exit ramps out of homelessness and into safe housing, leaving many of our neighbors stuck in crisis. Research consistently shows that when rents rise and vacancy rates drop, homelessness increases (Rai, 2024).

Successful solutions are built on collaboration and a shared commitment to the equal worth and value of all of our neighbors. At Action House, we’re proud to partner with First United Methodist Church, Dwelling Place, Good Samaritan Ministries, Gateway, the Holland Police Department, Community Mental Health, and so many others to work toward solutions. We’re committed to thinking critically, planning effectively, and working to do more—together. We’re grateful for a community that believes in the worth and dignity of every neighbor, that turns compassion into action to nourish, equip, and empower our neighbors. 

Get Involved

Refresh is fueled by a compassionate community that believes in the worth, dignity, and potential of every neighbor. To support First United Methodist Church and Action House’s collaborative partnership, consider becoming a Refresh volunteer.

You can also support our neighbors experiencing homelessness by hosting a winter gear drive or shopping from our Amazon Wishlist—small acts of kindness can make a big difference, and bring our neighbors warmth and hope.

References

Rai, V. (2024). Local rental market dynamics and homelessness rates among unaccompanied 

youths, single adults, and people in families. Journal of Urban Affairs. , https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/07352166.2024.2323521

United Way. (2021). 2021 Community Assessment for Ottawa County. 

https://www.miottawa.org/Community/CAA/pdf/2021-Community-Assessment.pdf