Joe Davis Co-Develops Mobile Shower Laundry for Homeless
Morgan Hill native Joseph Davis is no stranger to creating solutions for everyday problems. As a business leader and innovator, Joe Davis has been active in the technology field. With a string of patents to his name in data storage, wavelength optical switches, and Internet delivery technologies, Joe has been responsible for many millions of dollars in sales. He believes in giving back to the underprivileged as well. His philanthropic works in and around his home base of Morgan Hill, California have allowed the homeless population to regain their dignity.
A Mobile Showering and Laundry Facility for the Homeless in Gilroy, Morgan Hill and San Jose
Starting in the 1970s, Joe Davis and his wife Barbara have given their time, talents, and finances to organizations helping the underserved. He is a vocal advocate for the homeless population of Santa Clara County, California, and has undertaken the development of several projects to benefit the needs of homeless area residents.
Joe partnered with the Gilroy Compassion Center (GCC) and the San Jose State University Engineering Department on one of those projects. He has helped design and develop a mobile showering and laundry facility for use by homeless people, helping them to regain some of their dignity. The mobile facility is based on a towable trailer and features both laundry facilities as well as private showering areas. The facility is staffed by area volunteers. Homeless residents can use the facility for free, giving them a chance to have clean clothes and personal cleanliness, which may otherwise be hard to come by. Similar facilities have sprung up in communities across the country.
Advantages of a Mobile Showering and Laundry Facility
Homeless people face many challenges in their daily lives. Cleanliness is one of them. Showering facilities, such as the mobile one Joe Davis has co-developed with the GCC and San Jose State University, offers several advantages. These include:
Helping homeless residents regain some of their dignity
Reducing the time and frustration of searching for pay-only facilities in the area
Providing advantages in job- and housing-search endeavors – clean clothes and a fresh appearance help to land jobs in the area
Fostering a sense of normalcy in the homeless population
Helping to build a more compassionate community where the needs of everyone are met
Joe believes that everyone deserves a chance at success. By lending his engineering and technology talents to the needs of underserved residents of communities in California, he is helping them to restore aspects lost to them.
Other Projects for the Homeless in Morgan Hill
The mobile showering facility is part of the Morgan Hill Safe Park Project at the Morgan Hill Bible Church. Joe has been active in providing safe parking and housing for homeless residents of the area. He has worked closely with organizations like the GCC, San Jose State University, and the Santa Clara County Housing Department to create other projects like micro houses for use by the homeless as well as a camping program that pays for the homeless to stay in public and private campgrounds. A number of faith-based groups serve as volunteer pools for the facilities, helping homeless area residents enjoy safe overnight camping and parking. Many homeless people in the area rely on RVs and cars as living quarters; by offering a safe place for them to stay and a place for them to shower and do laundry,
