PBHL-S315, Community Organizing for Health Promotion, has been selected as a course with engaged learning experiences to reflect back on. I took this class in the Fall of 2024 with Carolyn Runge. In this assignment I wanted to look at hygiene poverty, I wanted to understand how it affects public health and what we can do to fix it. I looked at the grassroot organization Indy Hygiene Hub. They are an organization located on the north side of the city and help address and provide access to essential hygiene care to the community. 

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In Indiana, hygiene poverty is a silent driver of health disparities, disproportionately affecting low-income families, unhoused individuals, rural communities, and marginalized groups. One-third of families that are unable to afford household goods report bathing without soap or reusing diapers to get by (Feeding America, 2023). These conditions increase risk for infection, mental health challenges, and social exclusion, especially among those already facing systemic barriers. The COVID-19 pandemic opened a window of opportunity to reframe hygiene as a public health priority. Moving forward, policy solutions could include tax exemptions for hygiene products, corporate partnerships for school-based distribution, and infrastructure for public sanitation access. Addressing hygiene poverty is not just about supplies—it’s about equity, dignity, and health justice.