It’s clear there is a housing crisis in the United States; in 2024, it was reported by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development that homelessness rose by a staggering 18%.
Of course, systemic solutions must be implemented to ensure that unhoused individuals have access to safe and affordable housing, but their immediate needs must also be addressed.
That is what Nicky Crawford of Atlanta, Georgia set out to do.
Crawford is the founder of Flowing with Blessings, Inc. a nonprofit that provides essential services like showers and clean clothing to people experiencing homelessness.
But he wanted to take his offerings a step further.
With the help of students at Georgia Institute of Technology, the nonprofit introduced its innovative Mobile Laundry Bus in 2024.
Steve Chininis, a professor at the university’s School of Industrial Design, oversaw the design and development process of the mobile laundromat.
Industrial design students Zaria Hardnett, David Hounyo, Lily Liang, Claudia Ross, and Anushka Vaidya all took part in the project, converting an old school bus that Crawford had purchased into a laundromat on wheels.
“What we’re trying to do is get them clothes they can have for the week so they can change clothes because a lot of times it’s not them that smell, it’s the clothes,” Crawford told 11 Alive News last summer.
Indeed, hygiene poverty plays a huge role in the lives and well-being of people without permanent housing. In the past, Crawford has installed pop-up shower stalls and partnered with volunteer barbers to provide opportunities for unhoused community members to freshen up.
He also makes sure they have everything they need to do so, including toiletries, towels, detergent, and more.
“At Flowing with Blessings, we believe that every person deserves to feel clean, comfortable, and valued,” the nonprofit’s website explains. “With our services, we aim to empower those facing homelessness and help them rebuild their lives with dignity.”
But with rising needs, Crawford can’t do this work alone.
The Georgia Tech students — all juniors and seniors — used their design and engineering skills at every step of the Mobile Laundry Bus development process.
From brainstorming and sketching concepts to developing 3D models and overseeing the build of the bus, the final design had to be practical and user-centered.
One of the big challenges students faced was figuring out how to supply clean water at various locations, given the portable design of the bus. But they soon crunched the numbers to add the right amount of large tanks of clean water, installing them alongside washers and dryers.
As of the fall of 2024, the Mobile Laundry Bus has served over 4,500 individuals and assisted an estimated 60 people on each day of operation.
“It was so exciting to be able to have our students work on this amazing project,” Chininis said in a statement for Georgia Tech. “It allowed students to make an immediate and direct impact in our community! They were instantly engaged because they were working with an amazing client who was helping real people.”
As for Crawford, he will continue to be steadfast in his mission — and inspire others to do the same.
For Georgia Tech, he said: “We urge everyone to be the change they wish to see in the world.”
Header images courtesy of Georgia Tech
