A trailer providing showers to the homeless has now been deployed in the San Fernando Valley, thanks to a fundraising effort by Los Angeles Councilman Mitchell Englander.

The trailer, which can be driven throughout the Valley by truck, includes two shower units and stocks hot food, clothing and hygiene products.

The purchase of the mobile shower unit means there are now two being operated by the San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission’s Rescue SOS team.

The council office aimed to raise $17,000, but ended up receiving more than $26,000 in a fundraising drive started around the Thanksgiving holiday, said council aide Colin Sweeney.

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A video created by Englander’s office shows the mobile unit, and includes interviews with people who are homeless, who say they need the showers in order to be presentable at work.

“If it wasn’t for the showers and the San Fernando Valley Rescue Mission, we wouldn’t be able to survive out here,” one man said in an interview. He said his partner and their children are living in tents without access to running water or electricity. “Trying to go and look for work or just be able to function is really difficult.”

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In the video, Rescue Mission director Wade Trimmer explains that the service is “much more than a shower.”

“We see it as hope and dignity and a way off the streets,” he said.

The shower unit follows a set schedule and stops at four locations – Chatsworth, Pacoima, Van Nuys and Santa Clarita. Last year the mobile shower units provided 4,000 showers, or 50 to 75 per day, Trimmer said in an interview.

There are plans to expand to Woodland Hills and Sun Valley, he said.

The Rescue Mission also provides emergency shelter, transitional housing, and help for people experiencing substance abuse.