Hope For All

“We’re trying to give people hope again”

It was great to catch up with David and Ethan from Antifreeze/ Hygiene For All last week.

Hygiene For All (H4A) is part of the Antifreeze project (run by the charity Off The Fence), and it began a couple of years ago when staff identified that more needed to be done to meet the hygiene needs of people experiencing homelessness.

(Check out my previous blog for more background info)



The laundry van gets the most use, as other laundry services for people on the streets are very limited, in comparison to shower options in the city.

Although H4A prioritise rough sleepers, there are sometimes other people in vulnerable situations or temporary accommodation who also use the laundry van.

“I can think of one elderly woman, who must be in her 80s at least, and she’s really really benefited from it. She’s housed but doesn’t have a lot of money, has health needs, and is living on her own. It's been very helpful for her in terms of not stressing about raising enough money to pay for her laundry, or having to walk too far to collect it.” 

We spoke about the impact that being able to wash their clothes has on people’s mental health, self-esteem, motivation and optimism for the future. The staff make a special effort to find good quality laundry liquids with uplifting smells and take pride in folding people’s clothes neatly and really taking care of people’s belongings. Whilst the clothes are washing, it’s a good opportunity to catch up with people and see how they’re doing. Or if the van is parked up outside the day centre, people can go in and eat and maybe even have a haircut too.

While some people will bring a big load of washing that they’ve probably had to store somewhere and carry some distance, others may just want to wash one or two things. Often, this is one jacket and is a prized possession.

“Often, it’s a possession they had before rough sleeping… so quite a few of these jackets are designer, or the only expensive item that they’ve still got. 

Or they’re just really well suited for being outside. It is difficult finding clothes that are suitable and fit you… So when they find an item of clothing that is perfect for their conditions, they really want to hold on to it.

I remember one guy… I can’t remember the make of the jacket.. It was an Italian make and it was a big puffer jacket.. And I’d never see him without it.. It looked very comfortable, and it was always very clean.”

Since our conversation, I’ve found myself thinking about those one jackets a lot and imagining just how valued and cherished they must become....


Ethan also spoke about how it can sometimes be quite complicated to find appropriate places to park up the van, to be somewhere with enough space and near a drain. He says there is a need for greater hygiene facilities for people experiencing homeless or insecure housing in Brighton & Hove.

“It’d be great if there was a central place, like, a whole laundrette just for homeless people. It needs to be accessible - it’s not always possible to carry big bags of clothes all over town.. A lot of the guys have mobility or other health issues.” 

After months of working mainly through over the phone support, the H4A team are hoping to get the vans out and about on the streets of Brighton again soon. Although most of their clients are currently being housed by the council, they don’t know how long that will last and have also noticed numbers of visible homeless people creeping up again in the city in recent weeks.


After speaking with David and Ethan about H4A, the main thing I took away was the HOPE they help to bring to people, partly through the act of washing their clothes.

Reflecting on other conversations I’ve had recently, I’m realising that HOPE is a recurring theme that’s come up again and again.. so I'm exploring this more... mainly through the form of poetry at the moment...



For now, I’ll leave you with another little note from the notebook I left at Highdowns Laundrette in Hove…