It had been a few weeks since I was last out with Street Med and I hadn’t noticed a porta-potty before. In one of the encampment areas we frequently visit, there it was in full boxy blue synthetic glory, parked on a sidewalk. It gave me a topic of conversation.
“Hey, do you know where that porta potty came from?”
One of the Street Med team members was not sure. Another said it had been there for a few weeks.
I wondered if an anonymous and intelligent community helper thought to make such a purchase. Among the things people donate are a few *actually useful* things, and this struck me as actually useful.
I asked an unhoused friend what he knew about the mysterious new delivery. “Oh that? Yeah the city brought it in.”
I was glad to hear this. A low hanging public health fruit, as one of our team members put it.
Most of us don’t have to exert much mental energy considering how many times we use the bathroom, and where the nearest bathroom is, and how clean or safe it is. For the unhoused population, these questions impact their daily functioning and add stress to an already stressful existence. The options are sparse, and include traveling a distance on foot to a public restroom or finding a bush or empty alley. Consider how many shops or restaurants you have been to where the restroom was for paying customers only.
“Does anyone come and maintain it?” Our conversation continued. My unhoused informant told me yes, they service it. “Quite aggressively in fact” he laughed as he thought of the city attendant who comes to clean the porta potty. He quietly adds, “We could use an extra one actually”. I suggested he make that request when the attendant comes by next time. Such a reasonable request. To give our unhoused friends a dignified restroom experience.
In reflecting on the things that make all humans the same, sometimes in a divided world it feels like it’s a short list. But one of those things is our shared experience of having to expel our body’s waste products. In this, none of us are all that special. This concept is also mentioned in a certain OutKast song about roses.
Later in the day, we spent some time in a different area where an unhoused population resides. While members of the Street Med team were tending to a foot wound and others were counseling about taking an antibiotic, some of us stopped and noticed these beautiful wildflowers. I snapped a picture on my phone so I wouldn’t forget the moment. Juxtaposition. The work continues.
Naazia Azhar, MD
*Some details related to patient stories may be altered to protect the privacy of those we serve.