From Homelessness to Hope: Honoring Jeanne Albaugh for Women’s History Month

March is Women’s History Month—a time to recognize the women who inspire, uplift, and break barriers for others. At Showering Love, we are honored to celebrate our founder and CEO, Jeanne Albaugh—a woman whose life is a testament to the power of resilience, purpose, and unconditional love.

Jeanne’s journey has not been easy. She survived a childhood filled with trauma—including years of sexual abuse, the devastating suicide of her father, and being trafficked by the age of 17. “I became the queen of the masquerade,” she says, describing how she learned to hide her pain behind a carefully crafted image. And from the outside, that image looked perfect: a wealthy husband, beautiful children, a big house with a white picket fence—even a Porsche in the driveway. She was a champion barrel racer, ranked 9th in the nation, and seemed to have it all. But behind the mask, Jeanne was carrying the weight of a lifetime of unspoken pain.

After a fall that broke her back, doctors prescribed pain medication to help her recover. While the medication eased the physical pain, Jeanne discovered—for the first time—it also dulled the emotional pain of years of abuse and trauma. That was the turning point. Her growing dependence on the pills, coupled with the unresolved pain of her past, led to the unraveling of everything she had built. Eventually, she lost her marriage, her home, her children—and herself.

At her lowest point, Jeanne was living under a bridge, holding a sign, begging for change. She had lost everything she once had and nearly lost the will to live. “People saw a homeless woman,” she says, “but they didn’t see what I had been through.” She attempted suicide multiple times and felt completely invisible to the world. Jeanne would spend the next ten years experiencing homelessness, navigating unimaginable challenges while clinging to the smallest sparks of hope.

Then came a moment that changed everything: a brutally honest letter from her son. It didn’t offer comfort—it was painful to read—but it cracked through the hopelessness. It reminded her of what love could feel like. “That letter got through,” Jeanne says. And it lit the spark of transformation.

She accepted change. She faced her trauma. She began to heal.

Years later, she remembered a vision she had while volunteering at a food distribution: a mobile unit that could provide showers, laundry, and hope and dignity to people experiencing homelessness. That vision became a mission. In 2016, she founded Showering Love—a name that reflects both the tangible service of showers and the emotional healing power of love, inspired by the very letter that helped her reclaim her life.

At Operation Blessing, Jeanne first envisioned transforming a bus into a mobile unit with showers and laundry. That spark of an idea would later become Showering Love.

Since unveiling her first bus in 2017, Jeanne has transformed city buses into fully self-contained mobile shower units—complete with ADA-accessible facilities and laundry services. These buses meet people where they are, both physically and emotionally—under bridges, in encampments, and in communities often forgotten. To date, Showering Love has provided over 60,000 essential services, helping restore dignity and hope for thousands.

Jeanne often says, “We’ve all heard the saying ‘follow your dreams.’ I follow my dream every time I follow our mobile shower bus to serve those in need.” For her, Showering Love isn’t just a nonprofit—it’s a living, breathing purpose. It’s a dream brought to life through service, compassion, and the unwavering belief that love can restore what was once lost.

One of Jeanne’s greatest joys is witnessing the transformation in others—like the young woman she met at a tent city in Fort Lauderdale. She used the Showering Love bus weekly, and over time, she and Jeanne became friends. Eventually, the woman secured stable housing, and Jeanne hired her to join the Showering Love team. Two years later, she returned home to visit her family for the first time in seven years. “You could see the hope,” Jeanne says. “The hope of being a mom again. And to be a daughter again.”

Jeanne now shares her story across the country—through speaking engagements, educational workshops, and her TEDx Talk—to offer healing and inspire action. She trains medical professionals and students at Nova Southeastern University and Broward College to better understand the unique needs of unhoused individuals. She has presented at the American Pharmacists Association’s national public health conference and frequently partners with law enforcement, faith groups, and local governments.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Fort Lauderdale called on Showering Love to help keep vulnerable populations safe. Jeanne and her team worked six days a week, implementing COVID testing protocols in collaboration with South Florida Health and Wellness to provide mobile hygiene services in a safe, structured way. When historic flooding struck Broward County in 2023, she was again contracted as a first responder—mobilizing quickly to provide critical laundry and shower services to families in need.

Today, her life is “beyond her wildest dreams.” She’s remarried, her four sons gave her away at her wedding, and she’s now a proud grandmother to 14 grandchildren—including a baby girl recently born.

At the heart of it all is Jeanne’s mission: to spread love. Love that heals. Love that sees people for who they truly are. Love that believes everyone is worthy of dignity and a second chance.

In that same spirit, Showering Love is proud to host Purses with a Purpose—a Women’s History Month and Mother’s Day initiative that fills donated purses with hygiene essentials, feminine care products, and uplifting messages. These purses are gifted to women experiencing homelessness—many of them mothers themselves—as a reminder that they are seen, supported, and loved.

🌷 Help us carry hope—one purse at a time.
👉 Donate to Purses with a Purpose

Jeanne’s story reminds us that even in the darkest places, love can lead the way. It is her deepest wish that by sharing her journey, others will find hope, healing, and the courage to rise. This Women’s History Month, we celebrate her for lighting a path of compassion and courage—for choosing to be the change, and for inspiring others to do the same.

We love you, Jeanne!

This blog story was written by Monika Van Hise (that’s me in the middle!)

Peace out, everyone. Thank you for reading.