Our team and I help people who are living on the margins of life who are our homeless, hungry or lonely neighbors.

Because of this, I get this particular question a lot: "Hi Jim, what do the homeless do for restroom facilities? Do they need toilet paper?"

I say, "Thanks so much for your caring and thoughtful question. Sadly, toilet paper is not what they ask for. But they do ask constantly for baby wipes; the kind of baby wipes that have no additional scents or fragrances included. Just plain unscented baby wipes. These are the best for avoiding skin inflammations.”

It is actually sad for our team, and me to see up close what is happening with our homeless every couple of hours as time passes.

At our place at Shepherd's Office in Georgetown, we only have one toilet; it is a small spot next to the hot water heater. It is a tight spot to turn around in there. Our homeless guests use our toilet at certain times each day. So that is a blessing.

But outside in the larger community, the homeless are not welcome at places that have the larger public bathrooms. And once they are identified as being homeless at a Royal Farms, a Walmart or a Wawa, they are discouraged from even being near their business location. And if they go inside, they must buy something in order to use the bathroom, and many times they don't have any money at all. And when they are discovered as being homeless and destitute, the homeless are telling me that they are no longer welcome.

But as you know, when Mother Nature calls, she calls loudly. Then they must find a private spot outdoors behind bushes, shrubs or trees somewhere and do their business.

Our team and I feel especially sad for the ladies in this situation. And toilet paper is not what they need. Instead, they need lots of baby wipes and little trash bags so they can clean themselves up and the outside area up afterwards. They don't like leaving behind any human waste, but when they don't have any way to clean up, they have no choice but to leave it behind. So yes, baby wipes are very, very important to them, and many carry baby wipes in their backpacks. And we give out baby wipes constantly, and they are very expensive compared to toilet paper.

Let's show basic human compassion and provide a safe place for our homeless to use the bathroom when needed. This is the very basic of human dignity and respect.

And you ask about taking a shower? Ask a homeless person this question and they will say, "Taking a shower somewhere is like going to the moon and back. It is very rare."

This is a sad report, I know. But again, thanks for your caring and compassionate question. By the way, we need baby wipes, bottled water, flashlights and batteries, and bug spray!

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