Help WAVE Project build a Forever Home, so dignity doesn’t go seasonal.

WAVE Project is building a climate-controlled home base for storage and training that protects our mobile shower trailer, essentials van, equipment, and supplies, so we can keep serving neighbors through Michigan winters and grow our impact across Metro Detroit.

Checks- WAVE Project, 20588 Hall Road, Clinton Township, MI 48038.

The story

You shouldn’t have to choose between survival and dignity.

Most of us can shower, put on clean clothes, and step into our day without thinking twice.

For the people we serve, those basics are often the missing piece that makes everything else harder: staying healthy, keeping a job, showing up to an appointment, or simply feeling human again.

WAVE Project started in 2018 when six community members began building relationships at a simple BBQ in Mt. Clemens. Again and again, we heard the same need: safe, accessible hygiene services weren’t available. So we built a mission around it.

Today, our mission is clear: Sharing love by providing shelter, mobile showers, and essentials to those in need.

The problem

Our vehicles are our “building”, and Michigan winter can shut them down.

WAVE Project is mobile by design. That lets us reach people where they actually are, across dozens of communities, not just one fixed address.

But it also means our operations depend on a small fleet of mission-critical vehicles, supplies, and equipment.

Our mobile shower unit has three private bath suites, including one ADA-accessible suite, and it’s powered by hundreds of feet of piping. One minor freeze can shut the whole system down for days, and without proper storage, our services can be forced offline for 4–6 months.

That’s not a maintenance inconvenience. That’s thousands of neighbors losing access to basic care when they need it most.

Why “Forever Home” matters

WAVE has moved three times in six years, and it’s costing us momentum.

We’ve stitched together a patchwork of short-term rentals and storage solutions. It’s drained time, energy, volunteer capacity, and financial resources.

A permanent home solves the biggest constraints of a mobile model:

Climate-controlled protection for our vehicles, supplies, and equipment
Reliable year-round volunteer training, service project space, and staging
Operational efficiencies that help us serve more people consistently

What we’re building

WAVE Project’s Forever Home will be a climate-controlled facility designed for:

Safe storage and maintenance of our shower trailer and essentials van
Temperature-controlled storage for clothing and hygiene supplies
Year-round volunteer training and operational readiness

And because Kensington Church is providing the land, this home can be rent- and mortgage-free, allowing WAVE to redirect resources into programming for years to come.

The plan

A climate-controlled building with:

One truck and trailer bay
One van bay
Open storage with rack shelving
A small office and staging area for training and logistics

What you make possible

When you help build this Forever Home, you’re helping ensure:

Showers don’t stop when temperatures drop
Vehicles last longer and stay mission-ready
Volunteers are trained year-round, not just in-season
More neighbors are served, with 10–15% projected growth after move-in

You’re not just building a structure. You’re building reliability, dignity, and reach

Proof it works

WAVE already delivers; this project protects and expands what’s working.

In 2025, your support helped make all of this possible:

457 service events across Metro Detroit
4,067 showers provided to neighbors without reliable access to hygiene
6,846 guests served through the Essentials Van mobile clothing closet

With Forever Home in place, we’ll protect these services through Michigan winters, reduce downtime, train volunteers year-round, and expand our reach even further.

Who you’re helping

This project benefits three groups:

Guests, through more consistent service delivery and fewer winter shutdowns
Volunteers and staff have a year-round space to master the complex systems required to operate mobile showers safely
The broader community, through stronger partnerships and healthier, safer public spaces

Timeline

Planning and design: Ongoing
Capital campaign and pre-construction: current through April 2026
Construction: April–October 2026
Target opening: November 1, 2026

Fund something tangible

Your gift can underwrite real, visible build components. We’ll provide photos, receipts, and a brief outcomes memo as elements are completed.

Popular giving options (line items - cost estimates/not final)

Concrete foundation: $30,400
Electrical: $49,400
Radiant tube heaters (2): $4,500
Overhead doors and openers (3): $17,400
Site concrete (driveway/lot): $6,400
Gutters and downspouts: $4,500
Metal building delivery: $5,532.80
Permits: $2,000
Architectural plans: $18,000
Bundled “packages” (great for major donors)
Electrical and Heat Package: $53,900
Foundation and Doors Package: $50,700
Ready to Roll Site and Permits Package: $16,432.80

Prefer to mail a check?

Checks, WAVE Project, 20588 Hall Road, Clinton Township, MI 48038. Please note "Forever Home" in the memo line.

Who We Are

Founded in 2018, WAVE Project, Welcoming All Valuing Everyone, is a grassroots nonprofit based in Macomb County. We started with a monthly Outreach BBQ in Mount Clemens, where volunteers and neighbors sat together and shared stories. We listened, learned about the barriers, and built the services our community needed most.

What We Do Today

Mobile Shower Service, private, ADA inclusive
Essentials Van, clothing, and hygiene distribution
Macomb County Winter Shelter
Lil’ Pantries and targeted food support

Each year, we provide emergency shelter and thousands of showers, clothing items, food items, and hygiene essentials across Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne Counties.

501(c)(3)
WAVE Project is a registered nonprofit, EIN 83-1340243. Gifts are tax-deductible as allowed by law.

Accountability You Can Trust

We plan routes, track services, and steward every dollar for maximum impact. Your gift helps us keep the water hot, the shelves stocked, the shelter open, and the doors of opportunity wider.

Forever Home for WAVE Project

Build a climate-controlled base that keeps our vehicles ready and our services reliable across Metro Detroit.