Pastor describes new Salt Mine shower and laundry space; council and residents praise partnership

Pastor Eric Long told the Lincoln City Council the Salt Mine’s new shower and laundry space is now operational and serving residents experiencing homelessness.

"This shower space is a sanitary safe place for our neighbors, the unhoused in our community, to get a good clean shower and feel encouraged," Pastor Long said, and thanked the city and volunteers for sponsorship and help getting the facility completed after delays.

He described the laundry equipment delay — a replacement washer priced at about $8,000 took an extra month and a half to arrive — and said the new machine can do roughly four residential loads at once in about 30 minutes. The shower and laundry are open Tuesday through Friday from 9–11 a.m., with an hour reserved after operations for sanitizing.

Pastor Long also said the Salt Mine is working with William Jessup nursing students (four student nurses on-site) who assist with community health needs and obtain community-health certifications. Councilmembers and other speakers commended the Salt Mine as an example of successful city-community partnership and urged continued public support and donations to sustain operations.

The council thanked the Salt Mine volunteers and noted the project as a local example of collaboration between faith-based nonprofits and city services. No formal council action was requested; the presentation served as an update and recognition of the program.