It’s become a golden rule during the coronavirus pandemic: Wash your hands frequently with soap for 20 seconds.

Birmingham’s homeless community hasn’t had the ability to follow that rule – until now.

Thanks to a collaboration between an Alabama environmental justice group and an Atlanta organization, eight portable washing stations were given to Be A Blessing Birmingham, a nonprofit focused on helping the city’s homeless.

Erica “Star” Robbins, founder and executive director, said the stations are essential in keeping the homeless virus-free. Robbins has been trying to find hand sanitizer for her homeless neighbors for more than two weeks. She hasn’t been able to find any yet.

“We’re super excited about having something so they will be able to wash their hands and kind of cut down on the spread within the population,” Robbins said.

I am happy to announce that through a partnership with Michael Malcom of The People's Justice Council and Love Beyond... Posted by Be A Blessing Birmingham on Friday, 27 March 2020

According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, those who are homeless are vulnerable to the coronavirus due to lack of access to hygiene products and healthcare. To prevent contamination within the homeless community, Terence Lester, co-founder of the Atlanta-based nonprofit Love Beyond Walls, started building portable washing stations out of RV parts and placing them throughout the city. The washing stations are filled with soap and carry about 5 to 10 gallons of water.

Lester’s mission mirrors Robbin’s: to help the homeless however he can. He has received national attention for starting a campaign to place washing stations in different cities across the country. The effort caught the eyes of Michael Malcom, executive director of a multifaith, environmental justice group called Alabama Interfaith Power and Light.

Malcom became good friends with Lester while he was pastor of an Atlanta church. Now a Birmingham resident, Malcom said he reached out to Lester to reduce the spread of COVID19 in a community that was under-served and overlooked during the pandemic.

“I believe the homeless are a part of our community and I believe all of our community is in jeopardy right now,” Malcom said. “I know doing the environmental justice work I do that the homeless is one of our most vulnerable populations who do the least harm.”

Malcom didn’t know about Be A Blessing Birmingham at first. But those in the climate change community quickly educated him about Robbin’s nonprofit while he was looking for someone who could use the hand washing stations.

“Once I was led to (Robbins), I knew that was the person to see,” Malcom said. “She was the right person to connect with. There wasn’t anybody else.”

Robbins was happy for the extra help. She said programs that usually fed the homeless have stopped. So Robbins and a small group of volunteers have been busy doing food routes daily.

“Just because there is a pandemic going on doesn’t mean that people stop eating,” Robbins said. “Food is essential. If people don’t eat, they die.”

Robbins said the washing stations will be placed in the areas where they feed many of the homeless, such as Kelly Ingram Park and Five Points South in Birmingham. Robbins said she is searching for people who can help sanitize and fill the sinks. Anyone who is interested in volunteering can contact the nonprofit by emailing BeABlessingBirmingham@gmail.com or message the group on Facebook.