kengr

Truck stops have showers. And while you have to pay to use them, that's still an option.

Yes, there are ever so many truck stops inside city limits. Off the top of my mind I can think of... zero. I can think of zero truck stops in Portland city limits. You really expect homeless people to walk along the interstate to get to the nearest truck stop?

Oh yeah, truck stops also usually have laundromats too.

Laundromats cost money. And unlike truck stops, can actually be found within city limits.

There are other public showers, you just have to know where to find them.

Therein is the problem. I live with someone who used to be homeless, I know a shit-ton about homeless people because of it, and I didn't even know that was a thing. Which means my source didn't know it was a thing, either.

And the expense wouldn't be unreasonable anyway. Remember, an income is one of the things I already postulated.

Amy has an income, and she's been considering buying a hand washer to do her laundry in because she can't afford the cost of laundry in the apartment. So you may think the expense wouldn't be unreasonable, but it depends on the amount of income. And I don't know what kind of story you're writing, but charities in the real world tend to give just barely enough to manage, if even that.

Also, I have *no* idea what law you are thinking of. Anybody business or private person has the right to deny access to *any* part of their property. That's pretty much what "private property" *means*.

The law in Portland is that in order to use a bathroom in a restaurant or store, you have to buy something first. Unless the business's restrooms are explicitly stated to be public. The law doesn't always get enforced, but some businesses are real sticklers about that law.

It's a law that was supposedly enacted to prevent heroin addicts and other druggies using drugs in the bathrooms, but ultimately is anti-homeless, anti-poor, and inconveniences everyone else.

but yeah, cell phone is on my list of maybes. Also, you can get free phones *now* if you are low income.

You could, before. Not sure if they're still doing that now that Tronald Dumpsterfire is in office.