Shower the People visits the homeless in John Prince Park; finds warm welcome.

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Jermaine Molden has been homeless for two years, but he said nothing on the streets has scared him more than the threat of the coronavirus pandemic.

So when the Shower the People mobile shower trailer pulled up Saturday morning next to the growing homeless encampment in John Prince Park, Molden and dozens of other homeless residents were relieved.

"This is a blessing,’’ he said after emerging from one of the four showers on the trailer. "Before, I’d just splash water on myself at the sink in the one (public) bathroom. It was nice to have a good hot shower. It’s something we really need."

The mobile shower, which makes four stops a week at Tent City, is one way Palm Beach County is trying to protect homeless people from the coronavirus.

Park rangers are encouraging tent dwellers to practice social distancing. But persuading homeless residents to follow CDC guidelines for 12 feet of space between tents has been a challenge at Tent City, where there are more than 100 canvas dwellings on land roughly the length of a football field.

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"The problem is when they separate the tents, someone new comes in and they go and set up their tent in between," said ACLU attorney James K. Green, an advocate for the homeless.

The county is still working on a plan to use hotels and motels to isolate homeless people who test positive for COVID-19 or experience symptoms.

County officials are reaching out to the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association about possible partners and are trying to determine how those expenses would be reimbursed by FEMA, said County Commissioner Melissa McKinlay.

But Tent City will remain in place until late May or early June, when the county hopes to open an $8.6 million temporary homeless resource center with up to 125 beds at the old stockade next to the South Florida Fairgrounds.

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"The CDC does not recommend clearing encampments during community spread of COVID-19," said James E. Green, the county’s Community Services director, whose department is following CDC guidelines for homeless encampments.

"Clearing encampments can cause people to disperse throughout the community and break connections with service providers," Green said in an email. "This increases the potential for infectious disease spread."

COVID-19 thrives on close contact and poor hygiene, common traits among vulnerable residents who often cluster together for safety in camps like Tent City, which has expanded to a small piece of land just east of the main pavilion to allow for more spacing between tents. One resident said he counted 125 tents the other day.

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In January, there were 70 tents in the camp, which sits off of Sixth Avenue South in the 723-acre park west of Lake Worth Beach. The park is considered "ground zero" for the county’s estimated 1,400 homeless.

It is not known if any homeless residents are among the 908 coronavirus infections in the county as of 11 a.m. Saturday.

The county is trying to find a company to provide a mobile laundry unit at Tent City.

County officials "are trying to help stem the spread of the virus," said Tim Murphy, president of Shower the People, a Riviera Beach-based organization that provides showers, shaving supplies and clothing in an 18-foot mobile shower trailer.

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The trailer, paid for with $40,000 in donations, includes four individual stalls containing a shower, toilet, mirror, sink and bench. Pulled by a diesel pickup truck, it stops at Tent City on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays.

Green, the county official, said the county is still working out a payment plan with Shower the People, which does business under the name Dare2Care. Murphy said it costs at least $300 each time he brings the shower trailer to Tent City.

Saturday was the mobile shower’s fifth run there since March 28. On each run, about 50 people used the showers.

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"A couple of them cried coming out of the shower because they were so appreciative,’’ Murphy said. "They wish we were here all the time.’’

Murphy said his volunteers wear protective masks, eye coverings and rubber gloves while spraying the shower area with disinfectant after each use.

The county is looking for more partners to offer services to the homeless during the pandemic. Businesses or individuals who want to help are asked to contact the Homeless Coalition of Palm Beach County at 561-355-4663.

County officials also are asking the public — many members of whom are conducting "spring cleaning" while complying with orders to stay indoors during the pandemic — to refrain from dropping off items at the park.

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Although doing so is "well intentioned,’’ the donated items "clutter the space and often go to waste and end up becoming a sanitary issue that our parks staff keeps up with the best we can,’’ said Jennifer Cirillo, assistant parks director.

"Dropoffs actually contribute toward a sanitary problem rather than helping.’’

People who want to help the homeless people at the park are encouraged to donate to charities that have county permits to provide services.

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