Project SUDS: Serving Up Dignity with Showers

Kaitlyn Moran, Debbie Perez, and Rebecca Walmer under the direction of Assistant Professor Jessica Leibler seek to investigate the potential barriers to shower access among homeless individuals in Boston. This student team will evaluate the health impacts of poor or irregular personal hygine among the Boston homeless, the quality and accessibility of sanitation facilities available to them, and the sanitation needs and preferences of the homeless population–particularly as they relate to shower facilities.

Moran, Perez and Warmer aim to conduct a mixed­-methods research analysis to better understand current sanitation needs and critical barriers to personal hygiene among Boston’s homeless population. This analysis will consist of qualitative interviews with homeless and formerly homeless individuals to identify significant barriers to sanitation access. In addition, they will conduct a retrospective review of medical records from homeless patients at Boston Medical Center to analyze the disease burden and health-related costs that may be associated with inadequate access to showering facilities. Results from this study will serve to inform subsequent city planning efforts, with the ultimate goal of developing an alternative approach to increase access to bathing facilities for homeless individuals in the Boston area.

Moran, Perez and Warmer will work collaboratively with representatives from Boston Healthcare for the Homeless, Boston Medical Center and SpareChange News for the duration of the project.

Kaitlyn Moran
Kaitlyn is a graduate of BU’s Sargent College with a BS in Health Science and received her Masters in Public Health from BU with a dual concentration in Maternal and Child Health and Epidemiology in 2016. She is passionate about understanding how social policies influence health outcomes, particularly in diverse, urban communities. Her research interests include health disparities, maternal and child health, and urban health.

Debbie Perez
Debbie Perez is an MPH candidate at the BU School of Public Health concentrating in Epidemiology. Her public health interests include using research strategies to address health issues by using epidemiological/social behavioral methods as well as using statistical analysis to conduct precise and valid social epidemiology in order to dismantle harmful social norms and health policies.

Rebecca Walmer
Rebecca received her Masters in Public Health in 2016 from the BU School of Public Health where she concentrated in Epidemiology and Social and Behavioral Sciences. She received her B.A. in public health from Simmons College in 2012. Rebecca is interested in furthering the development and evaluation of evidence-based public health programs in underserved communities.

Media coverage:

Restoring Dignity to the Homeless, Boston University School of Public Health
Hope on Wheels: Students Start New Mobile Shower Project, SpareChange News
Sanitation as a Basic Human Right, Boston University School of Public Health

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