""I vividly remember what it's like as a kid backpacking around the world to need a shower, to need a place to wash your clothes," Steves told a crowd who gathered on Wednesday to celebrate the purchase over cake and with words fait accompli written in red icing. Many homeless people had come to depend on the Lynnwood Hygiene Center, which had operated rent-free on the property since 2020."
"Steves said he learned about the hygiene center's impending closure by reading about it in a local online newspaper just weeks before it was set to shut down. Despite living nearby, he said he hadn't even known the center existed. In fact, Steves told NPR he didn't even know what a hygiene center was until he read about the closure a place where people can shower, wash clothes, grab a hot meal and spend a few hours indoors."
""I realized, oh my goodness, there's an invisible community with an invisible center helping invisible people. And it's not right. It needs to be kept alive," Steves said. In a series of posts on Bluesky, Steves said was struck by how difficult it would be to replace. Steves said he bought the property for $2.25 million. Members of the community pitched in another $400,000 in donations, which the center says will go toward renovations and expanding services."
An anonymous donor initially stepped in to save a Seattle-area community hygiene center slated to close after the property sale. Travel writer and TV host Rick Steves purchased the Lynnwood Hygiene Center and pledged to keep it open and free for people needing hot showers, clean clothes, and hot meals. The center had operated rent-free since 2020 and served many unhoused people. Steves learned of the impending closure via a local online newspaper and decided to act, buying the property for $2.25 million. Community members added $400,000 for renovations and service expansion, preserving critical hygiene resources.
Read at www.npr.org
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