Period Poverty: The Lack of Access to Menstrual Hygiene Products While Homeless

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Images from Pexels and Editing by Aliyah Akers
 

    

    For those with uteruses and menstrual cycles, hygiene of that area is essential. But the fact of the matter is menstruation products cost on average $13.25/month, which comes to about $6,360 in a person's menstruation timeline (around 12-52). Though this amount may not seem like much to some, many houseless individuals can not produce the funds needed to get menstruation products every month. This is where the problem lies because, without proper menstruation hygiene, individuals are more prone to a plethora of things such as urinary tract infections (UTI) and the psychological damage that comes from the awkwardness of menstruation in the eye of the public. 

 

    Isn’t it silly that you have to pay for menstrual products, even though menstruation is something you can not control? Luckily there are efforts across the US trying to get free menstrual products for those who menstruate. But let's just take a look at some of the local efforts in Portland and the greater area. Did you know that Oregon is the first state to have the legalization of free menstrual products in schools? This is great news for homeless youth that attend public school, but what about those who don’t and adults? The Jewish Federation of Greater Portland (JFGP) has a program called Dignity Grows, in which they provide monthly menstrual hygiene products to individuals who menstruate that can not afford such products. To help provide for these products they sell $10 totes that you can purchase on their website. But are organizations like this enough? No, they are not because most of the time a lot of houseless folks don’t know about them because they are solely advertised online. That is why I believe that in the future, hopefully near, we should have a Bill implemented that would make it so those who need menstruation products but can’t afford them can get them for free.


Written By Aliyah Akers

Sources: Sadlier, A., 2022. New research reveals how much the average woman spends per month on menstrual products. [online] digital hub US.


Pitawanich, C., 2021. Oregon schools implement Menstrual Dignity Act, requiring free menstrual products. [online] KGW8. 

 

Dignity Grows. [online] Jewish Federation of Greater Portland. 

     

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