Orange Sky mobile showers and laundry are lockdown heroes. Video / Supplied
For some, it's coffee and takeaways they've missed under level 4 but for the city's homeless it's a shower, clean clothes and a friendly chat.
From tomorrow those sleeping rough around Auckland will be able to access the free mobile laundry and shower service provided by Eddie Uini and the team at Orange Sky.
The bright orange van "Hugo" will be out in South Auckland before heading into the city at the end of the week.
Many of the city's homeless have been provided emergency housing but a large number are still sleeping rough throughout the Auckland region.
The closure of shops, restaurants and businesses has compounded the isolation and access to food for those without a home.
"I [spoke] to one man and he said I was the first person he had spoken to in five weeks. That stuck with me, loneliness is a really big problem," Uini said.
"Going without a shower is hard but so is going that long without having a conversation."
Uini and the team at Orange Sky are today's Lockdown Heroes.
In a normal week, more than 160 volunteers give their time to help positively connect with some of the 41,600 New Zealanders doing it tough.
Eddy Uini from Orange Sky is looking forward to providing free mobile shower and laundry facilities again but with Covid-19 protocols in place. Photo / Supplied
People can volunteer through the Orange Sky website and give a few hours a week to help run the van and welcome those who come to use it.
There is one van in Auckland and one in Wellington with another planned for Auckland soon.
Under level 3 Uini said there would be social distancing, masks and deep cleaning after every visitor.
"We won't let anything stop us from connecting with people but we will do it in a way that is safe for everyone," he said.
Uini said it wasn't only the homeless who needed Orange Sky.
"Our first stop this week is out in Manurewa and we know there are a lot of families there who need to access the laundry service.
"For a lot of families they have lost a job or income and $20 they would spend at the laundromat is better used to put food on the table for their family."
Later in the week, the van will head into the city.
Orange Sky was founded in Australia in 2014 by Nic Marchesi and Lucas Patchett who installed a couple of washing machines and dryers in the back of an old van and visited parks around Brisbane to wash and dry clothes for free.
Uini got involved when Orange Sky launched in New Zealand in 2018.
The van is usually outside Auckland City Mission three times a week but will only return there in level 2.
Auckland City Mission kept its doors open during level four and provided food and services and health checks for those in need.
Eddie Uini will be providing free showers and laundry services for homeless people around Auckland this week. Photo / Supplied
But it does not have showers or laundry facilities.
Auckland City Missioner Helen Robinson said Uini had been a regular at the mission since Orange Sky launched.
"It's such a wonderful service and done with true heart, so people needing to have a shower or wash clothes do so in a really welcoming, friendly, and safe environment," Robinson said.
"Eddy makes everyone feel at ease. We'll be looking forward to him coming back on site in level 2."
Despite being unable to get out on the streets for the past five weeks Uini and his team have still been helping the homeless.
Around 607 people have signed up for the Sudsy Challenge where participants wear the same clothes for three days to raise funds and awareness and to start conversations about homelessness.
More than $25,793 had been raised, which will cover the cost of 992 loads of laundry.
Uini, who completed his challenge last weekend, said he loved being able to see the impact walking around freshly showered and with clean clothes had on someone's self-esteem.
"I know if I haven't had a shower in one day how that makes me feel, imagine how much it can affect someone after six months.
