Larry Clemente: “A Win-Win Situation”

Larry Clemente moved to Detroit in 2021, after leaving his long-time home of Boston, Massachusetts.

Larry smiles in front of the CSL sign

Unfortunately, the move to a new city was “kind of a rough transition,” he said. Eventually he was able to connect with The Salvation Army, who helped him get a job as a forklift operator and secure an apartment downtown – but the apartment cost $900/month, which was barely more than he was making at his full-time job. “The pennies leftover after paying the rent could barely buy me groceries and other things. I thought about working two full-time jobs, but when would I have the time to sleep?”

As he looked for more resources to help him get buy, someone mentioned Manna Meal to him. He came by one day and found out that not only was there a “good meal” here, but a shower and laundry facility too! He said, “In my mind it was a win-win situation. Unless you want to go to one of the laundromats and pay top dollar for washing and drying, there aren’t many other places. This place is a blessing… where it’s free to wash your clothes.”

Although he has continued to struggle with such expensive rent, he says that he is “finding his way, slowly but surely.” He says he would really like to make it work here because he really loves Detroit. He especially loves the city’s sports programs, and made a point to shout out the Tigers: “You know they’re in first place right now!”

When asked if there is anything he wanted to share with the Corner Shower and Laundry community, he said, “If they could take one day out of their life and not shower at home, but come down here and experience the shower and laundry facility for themselves, they would see that their donations have not been in vain. A lot of homeless people, people who don’t have areas to shower or laundry in their homes, come here. And it’s a blessing to help them start their day and continue going in the right path.”