photo by: City of Lawrence

A portable trailer that provides restrooms and showers is pictured when at place at Woody Park, 201 Maine St. in this 2021 file photo.

A bathroom and shower trailer at the City of Lawrence’s support site for people experiencing homelessness has been vandalized, leaving only one section currently available for use.

According to city spokesperson Laura McCabe, only the ADA-accessible section of the shower trailer is currently open while its other two stalls are closed for repairs. McCabe said the doors to those two stalls were torn off completely and had been for at least four or five days. She said she’s been told city staff is working to find out whether the doors can be repaired or will need to be replaced entirely.

As the Journal-World reported, a bathroom and shower trailer the city previously purchased using federal pandemic aid was installed at New Beginnings, the city-supported tent site behind Johnny’s Tavern in North Lawrence, in March.

The Journal-World reached out to the city to ask whether that trailer is still a resource at the site Tuesday, after the city announced a partnership with a local congregation, Lawrence Heights Christian Church, to provide another enclosed trailer with shower and laundry services each Tuesday at the site. The Journal-World had received a tip that the trailer had been vandalized and closed, but was seeking confirmation from city officials.

McCabe did not mention any outstanding issues with the trailer at that time, just that the city provides it as a resource for community members staying at the camp. McCabe said Wednesday that’s because she wasn’t aware the trailer wasn’t fully functional until hearing about it potentially having been vandalized from the Journal-World.

“We deal with vandalism to the trailer on a regular basis and work to get repairs done quickly,” McCabe told the Journal-World. “For context, I generally hear of some sort of vandalism to the trailer about once a week.”

That activity is taking place despite the presence of city staff members who have been stationed to supervise the site. McCabe called the site a “challenging environment” and said she is impressed with the compassion and patience she sees whenever she visits.

McCabe said there are several other toilet facilities at the camp that are operational, and the individuals who are staying there will have to shower at community buildings in the meantime or during other periods of repair.