What Hand in Hand Does…
Hand in Hand is an initiative that distributes a soap made for the unhoused in 10 different locations in California. In addition, we host interactive workshops at shelters where we help unhoused people tailor the soap scrub to meet their needs.
Join us in spreading kindness and knowledge, one scrub at a time!
Mission
Through interviews on the streets and through shelters, we found that unhoused people need an inexpensive soap product that is abrasive and can easily remove grime while also being moisturizing. Hand in Hand began with a sugar scrub base and modified this with a preservative, surfactants, emollients, and other soap components to create a soap scrub that both foams and moisturizes. It is funded by grants and sales at local schools, using a one-for-one model to make it free for the unhoused. Hand in Hand believes in meeting unhoused people where they are with a product that works for them!
Distribution
Hand in Hand distributes soap at 10 locations in the Bay thanks to organizations Home First, Felipe Housing Project (BHC), Mabury Housing Project (BHC), Loaves and Fishes, The Homeless Garden Project CSA, Hope’s Corner, The Homeless Garden Project Farm Stand, Boccardo Regional Reception Center, Code Tenderloin, and Housing Matters. As of now, we have distributed over 11,000 soap scrubs through these organizations and through giveaways in the Tenderloin. We hope that we can keep expanding our reach in the coming year.
Community Connect
Hand in Hand aims to connect with the unhoused community on a deeper level, so we also host interactive workshops at shelters where we teach unhoused residents to make soap scrubs. Here, unhoused people can tailor the surfactant/emollient ratio to meet their specific needs, meaning that they can make the soap scrub as foamy, abrasive, moisturizing, or thick as they want while also adjusting for their desired soap scent. Through workshops, Hand in Hand hopes to bring joy to shelters while also hearing direct feedback from unhoused residents.
