Free Laundry Services Offered To Homeless Residents In Greater LA Area

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — The Laundry Truck LA unveiled its newest trailer Thursday which will provide free mobile laundry services to homeless people in the Greater Los Angeles area.

The trailer -- the nonprofit's second -- has five sets of washers and dryers, a folding station and a water heater.

Service is available seven days a week, including night shifts, to unhoused people throughout the county's parks, recreation centers and specialized locations.

The group facilitated an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 loads of laundry last year, with more than 10,000 loads of laundry expected to be done by the end of this year, officials said.

SoCalGas donated $25,000 to the organization earlier this year to support rising demands for personal care and laundry services.

"People experiencing homelessness in L.A. have been hit hard by the pandemic, and the demand for our free mobile laundry services has never been higher," said Jodie Dolan, The Laundry Truck LA's founder. "This new truck enables us to expand our reach and provide our services to those who need them most."

"As an early supporter of The Laundry Truck LA, we have been gratified to watch this organization grow, and reach more people experiencing homelessness in our community. Clean clothing is something so many of us take for granted, but it is truly a human right and need for us all," said City Councilman Gil Cedillo.

County Supervisor Hilda L. Solis -- who said she supported the organization with a grant of just over $90,000 -- said that "access to laundry services is a simple way to give our unhoused neighbors self-confidence and a sense of dignity."

(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)