After two years of work by the Group’s engineers, the Onet Foundation donated the first patented shower truck to the City of Marseille in 2017. The O’lien unit is equipped with a reception area, a changing room, and a fully self-cleaning steam shower, and it meets all required health and safety standards.
Originally, this initiative was designed to address two key issues raised by people experiencing homelessness: access to restrooms—which is becoming increasingly difficult in major cities—and feeling safe while using them.
The shower truck has been in operation for two years under the municipal Samu Social and is fully fulfilling its mission. It conducts outreach patrols every day in various neighborhoods of Marseille (from Belsunce to the Prado beaches), providing an average of 10 to 15 showers per day, and up to 30 in the summer. In addition to providing access to hygiene, the initiative helps the most vulnerable rebuild social connections: they rediscover moments of sharing and interaction over coffee and a snack, as well as a sense of self-worth, which is often lost on the streets.
Thanks to all these benefits, the truck has become an essential resource for the most disadvantaged and a necessity in Marseille. In two years, more than 3,000 showers have been provided.