“I started wondering how homeless people would keep their hands cleans, it's already difficult"

ATLANTA — An Atlanta man is bringing portable hand washing stations to people experiencing homelessness throughout the city.

Terence Lester, one of the organizers of Love Beyond Walls, a group that supports the needs of homeless residents, said he came up with the idea to create hand-washing stations last week as more updates related to coronavirus were being released.

“I started wondering how homeless people would keep their hands cleans, it's already difficult,” Lester said.

And when the Center for Disease Control told the public to go into social distancing, it heightened his concern for people without access to clean water.

“The reality is some people are going to live on the streets and be on the streets,” Lester said.

Lester got on the phone and started contacting RV manufactures, who could use technology that helps build portable hand washing stations.

Within a week, 15 portable machines have been donated to Lester, each holding between 5 and 10 gallons of water.

Members from Love Beyond Walls will be taking the machines throughout the “heart of the city,” according to Lester.

During our phone interview, Lester revealed he experienced homelessness as a teenager.

“When I was experiencing homelessness being out there, you would have to go a mile or two to wash your hands or go to the bathroom,” Lester said. “I wanted to make sure we put stations in parts where people are under bridges, just in case someone wants to stop and wash their hands.”

Lester says he hopes to help other organizations throughout the country give the homeless freshwater resources.