Jason and Frank of Shower to the People in front of the trailer that Frank modified to become the shower facility for homeless people in Everett.

As a personal project, I have started what I am calling my Spotlight Series. There are so many people in our community that are working to make things better in some way. My vision is that I want to find them, meet them, photograph them, and tell their stories. If you know an amazing person, please send me an email, or fill out our nomination form!

My most recent shoot for the Spotlight Series is Frank and Jason of Shower to the People. They provide facilities for homeless people in Everett to shower as well as a few other services that help them feel valued and cared about as well as clean.

Over the years I have spent a lot of time in Seattle walking around with my photography clients, or by myself. During that time, when I am standing outside a courthouse, in a park, or photographing a building, I have had lots of interactions with homeless people. Sometimes they are rude and demanding panhandlers, but far more often I have found them to be really nice people that point out interesting places or angles for me to photograph from, or just want to talk.

Being homeless has a whole bunch of challenges involved that we quite often take for granted. Things we do every day like cooking food and taking a shower becomes a challenge. In the past, my wife Leslie has donated clothes and backpacks to Shower to the People in Everett. They provide a place for the homeless to shower as well as giving them things like a meal and clean socks. Leslie went to school with Jason, who is a social worker by day as well as handling things like donations and volunteers. Frank is his Father-in-law and the founder of Shower to the People.

I went out to the First Presbyterian Church in Everett to take some portraits of Frank and Jason. What I didn’t want to do was to bother their clients. The only client I took a photograph of was Star, who asked to be photographed. Their site was quite busy with a handful of volunteers handing out socks and sack lunches as well as more than a dozen clients waiting for a shower or socializing. One of the clients seemed quite knowledgeable about photography and was giving a play-by-play to a few people describing what I was doing as I was setting up the lights.

As I was talking to Jason, he told me part of the message he wanted to get out is that the homeless are people and deserve to be treated like people.

Here is the Q&A with Frank

I understand that you provide showers for homeless people. Could you tell me how you were inspired to start that?

I read a book called Under the Overpass by Mike Yankowski, a young college man who went homeless for 5 months, and during that time he went 6 weeks without a shower.

Once you decided to start providing the service, what obstacles did you have to overcome to actually be able to do it?

I had to do a presentation to the elders of the 1st Presbyterian church in Everett. This is the first and still a location I go to. I also met with Everett’s police chief and Everett’s city planer to get their approval.

My wife and I have sent clothes and backpacks to you guys to hand out, so I know that your services go beyond providing showers. Could you tell me what else you help your clients with?

White crew socks, deodorant (from Dollar stores), blankets, and sleeping bags from Thrift stores.

Frank with the trailer he modified to provide showers to the homeless.

What impact do you feel you have on the lives of your clients?

Big impact, we have actually saved some lives by making them feel human again, by having them be ready for job interviews, and help them get thru hard times.

How has being a part of this changed you and how you view the world?

I have much more empathy for people and understand their plight more.

How have the coronavirus and Covid affected your services and family?

I had to take 3 months off from doing the showers, and one of the locations has not asked us back. Another location has asked us to do the showers there. My wife was not very happy that I started up again. She is afraid of me getting the virus and then spreading it to her and the rest of my family.

Jason is Frank’s son-in-law. In addition to being a social worker by day, he helps Frank with Shower to the People as well as arranging volunteers.

What achievements are you most proud of?

I have won a few awards and been in the paper a few times, that is good but really every time I hear someone say I really appreciate what you are doing for us is what I like.

What concrete things can people do to help your efforts today?

Donations of money and or supplies. They can donate to Cascade View Presbyterian church at 1030 E Casino Rd Everett WA and put on the check CVPC and bottom of check Shower to the people. Supplies: 2 man tents, tarps, large bottles of soap, conditioner, and shampoo (not 2 in one shampoo conditioner)

What policies would you like to see our local politicians enact that you think would have a direct impact on the lives of your clients?

More housing or a place that they can put up a tent, like a tent city. Have the police have more empathy for the homeless.

What do you do when you are not working?

Side projects at home, visit grandkids.

What are your future goals?

Continue what I am doing till I can’t do it anymore

What makes you the perfect person to do this?

Because I have handyman talents, a carpenter for 40 years, always something to fix or create, I have patience, I don’t put up to the BS some clients give me and I like people and think they deserve to have a better life.

Again, I want to thank Frank and Jason for their time, as well as all they do for the community!

Spotlight Series | Shower to the People