If you find yourself on the banks of the Yarra River in Melbourne’s CBD one Saturday evening, you might stumble across a “pop-up” of a kind you weren’t expecting: not a Taco Truck or an espresso bar, but a mobile shower station.

The initiative is all about giving people who sleep rough an opportunity to enjoy a nice, long, warm shower, some clean clothes and a meal.

The showers on Saturday night.

“The guys that have been using the services are loving it,” says one of the organisers, Tim Wallis. “Especially in this cold weather, they love coming in, getting into the hot water and they just stand there for ages. It’s a bit of a novelty. We’ve had a number of people come and say it’s nicer than any other shower facility they’ve used in the past and they love being able to have the clothes and food there in the same place.”

It’s a partnership between One Voice Australia, an organisation looking to find solutions to youth homelessness and Meals at the Bridge, a group providing hot meals to hungry people each week. Both groups have Christian roots, with Meals at the Bridge being run primarily by volunteers from Edge Church and Greensborough Anglican Church in Melbourne’s east/north-east, and One Voice being heavily supported by Hillsong Melbourne.

One Voice says it’s pioneering what they think is Australia’s first mobile shower service: “One of the challenges when living on the streets is personal hygiene. Some people shower at shelters and some in public toilet blocks. Either way, people are constantly worrying ‘Who is around?’ or ‘Am I safe?’.”

The mobile shower block is designed to also function as a point of connection where people can get more long-term help through referrals to other organisations, as well as a toothbrush, toothpaste, a razor, a swag and clean second-hand clothes.

It’s currently only available in Melbourne, but they’re hoping to expand the service to other cities around Australia.

Last Saturday was only their second in operation, and 17 people used the service. One patron who came to use the shower had been sleeping in his car with his 4-year-old daughter.

“This is what keeps us going and passionate about what the future holds for an accommodation facility because young kids should not have to experience life on the streets,” One Voice said. The shower will now also be available on Monday and Tuesday mornings alongside breakfast.

Meals at the Bridge has been proving hot meals, IT classes, employment assistance and art classes to anyone who needs them for the past two years from the Batman Park site where the shower block is set up each week. Because they’ve built up a group of regulars who visit for a hot meal (reportedly the best meal in town) it made sense to locate the One Voice showers next to Meals at the Bridge.

Treasurer Tim Wallis says they’re excited by the partnership and the opportunities a hot shower can provide for people who are unemployed and sleeping rough.

“If you’re going off and you need to get employed but you’re coming off the street and you don’t smell the best and you need some clothes, it’s hard to find a job. It will give people a better chance at finding their next job.”

To help out or donate items to either organisation, you can contact them via their Facebook pages: One Voice AU and Meals at the Bridge.