Laundry day – Credit: Curated Lifestyle for Unsplash+
A man who felt he needed a more fulfilling line of work began a mobile laundromat surface the wash the clothes of Philadelphia’s homeless population.
Joe Richardson admits it feels like second nature to wash and dry people’s clothes, something one supposes was engendered in him after he began work at his family’s laundromat business.
In 2021, Richardson had just been released from prison where he had served a 14-year sentence, and though he was grateful for the chance to get back on his feet, he felt he needed a change of direction.
11 years earlier, he had thought up the idea of the mobile laundromat while incarcerated, and felt that the time had come to give it a try. Now for a few hours every week, Richardson volunteers his time to wash clothes on the street.
When NBC’s ‘a-Philly-ate’ NBC 10 when to see Richardson, he had parked the laundromat, which he tows in a trailer behind his truck, at Arch and Broad streets.
MORE STREET-SIDE SERVICE: Retired Cop Rehabs Bus into Mobile Laundry: He Now Washes Clothes for the Homeless
“One guy earlier just said that just to have clean clothes is a blessing, it helps me feel better about myself,” he told NBC 10.
The city reckons there are about 5,000 unhoused residents, and 60 shelters city-wide. The current mayor has committed to adding another 1,000 beds to these and additional shelters to reduce the number of people sleeping rough.
WATCH the story below from NBC 10…
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