Research/Best Practices

Why these teens need hygiene products, and why this means a lot to us to help them out.
Hygiene and health are intimately interwoven, and poor hygiene is an inevitable result of
homelessness. Establishing proper hygiene is key to a sense of self and better health. This
includes regularly brushing teeth, washing hair, washing hands, cleaning with soap, wearing
deodorant, menstrual hygiene products, and clean underwear and socks. When people don't have
access to these products, many consequences will develop ranging from unemployment to
serious diseases. Simply the Basics provides basic hygiene to programs and people, thus building
a healthier community and stronger homeless programs overall. Often homeless people will
utilize a local homeless shelter or a day center for their hygiene needs. However, having access
to a shelter doesn’t necessarily guarantee that they will be able to bathe due to the number of
homeless and the shortage of resources at shelters. Additionally, nonprofit organizations shared
that on average, more than 14 hours of staff time a week was spent collecting, sorting, and
storing donations. Since we are all teens this hits home for us and we feel it's something we take
for granted, such as getting to brush our teeth, and wearing deodorant. When these teens feel
more comfortable in their own skin it will improve their self confidence. Getting to help teens in
our community is even more fulfilling, because that could be us in their place. According to an
the oregon tribune article from 2018, Oregon ranks first for homeless youth. Meaning we have
more teens that need our help. Being able to make this change also makes us happy.