By Marwa Barakat
The Frederick News-Post
FREDERICK, Md. — Wade Milyard Jr. retired from the Frederick Police Department as a K-9 handler in January. Now, he spends his time doing laundry for those in need.
Milyard, 45, established a new nonprofit, Fresh Step Laundry — a free mobile laundry service, particularly aimed at helping people experiencing homelessness.
After months in the works, Milyard’s laundry service started running a few weeks ago.
When asked what inspired him to start this work, Milyard said the short answer was God.
He had been thinking about his next steps after retirement but wasn’t sure what he wanted.
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While responding to a domestic dispute between people experiencing homelessness, Milyard said he felt the urge to ask about how they do their laundry.
A woman told him they washed their laundry in a creek and hung it to dry on a fence or on their tent posts.
From then on, Milyard asked homeless people if they would use a free laundry service if it were available.
“Not one time did I get a ‘no,’” he said.
After responding to a particular call, Milyard took a man without housing to get coffee.
The man told him he had no place to do laundry, which prevented him from going to job interviews because he knew his clothes were not clean.
“That was just kind of like that kick in the butt. ... This is what you got to do,” Milyard said.
This interaction also helped inspire the organization’s name: Fresh Step Laundry.
If people were confident their clothes smelled good, “maybe they’ll get that job, and maybe that’ll be the next step” to getting out of their difficult situations, Milyard said.
“Knowing that they walk out here with a little more self confidence is what makes it good,” Milyard said.
The laundry bus is now parked at On Our Own of Frederick County, on South Market Street, on Mondays and Thursdays, and at the Frederick Moose Lodge, on East Patrick Street, on Wednesdays.
Nathan Brown, a volunteer at On Our Own who is working to become a peer support specialist, said Fresh Step Laundry has helped him because of his current living situation.
“It’s been awesome. It’s been a burden off of our shoulder,” Brown said. “[Milyard’s] been amazing to us, the center and the community.”
Brown said he would recommend this service to others because of the positive environment and hospitality.
Milyard said he already knew some of the people who have been using the laundry service from his days on the force.
“There’s no animosity there. ... They understand that I’m here in a different capacity, and that the past is the past,” he said.
Once he had the idea, the police department donated a Police Activities League bus that was no longer in use.
“[Milyard’s] heart for service and his desire to help others is pretty remarkable, and we are excited to see what he does with Fresh Step!” the Frederick Police Department wrote in a social media post announcing his retirement.
After picking up the bus at the beginning of this year, Milyard and his father-in-law worked for months to renovate it and install new washing machines and dryers.
They often worked for 10 to 12 hours per day on the bus, which Milyard named Lucy.
After narrowing down his idea, Milyard discovered The Laundry Truck LA, a nonprofit that provides similar free mobile laundry services in Los Angeles, California.
He met with their team virtually and learned more about their processes. Milyard said they have supported his launch.
Milyard also got local help from the Living Water Shower Ministry, which transports a shower trailer around Frederick County for those in need of shower services.
The two groups hope to set up on the same day outside of the Frederick Moose Lodge to form a “one-stop shop,” Milyard said.
Milyard initially contacted On Our Own of Frederick County to set up outside of the peer recovery organization.
Neil Donnelly, executive director of On Our Own, said the organization previously paid for a laundry service, but Fresh Step Laundry offered a way to save funds and partner with another organization.
Milyard also plans to park outside of the Veteran Services Center in Frederick once a month.
Many other people have contacted Milyard about possible locations where there is great need for the laundry bus. For now, with limited resources and only one bus, that is still something Milyard is figuring out.
Milyard hopes to acquire a second bus and dedicate its use to Frederick County students without steady housing.
“The thing about kids, especially children who are in that situation, the school might be the only place they have some consistency in their life,” he said. “If they come in there and they’re not in clean clothes, they’re not going to be comfortable to learn.”
Milyard currently starts his days shortly before 8 a.m. to set up the station, and finishes close to 2 p.m. His wife, Paige, and his mother help out.
He has a drop-off time window for people to bring their clothes. He then washes and dries them in the machines, keeping everyone’s loads separated.
He folds each load of laundry once complete and places it in new bags with other essentials, such as deodorant.
The nonprofit Helping Hands and Caring Hearts donated the bags he uses. The Living Water Shower Ministry donated laundry detergent.
Milyard also received donations from the Fraternal Order of Police, the What Would Stew Dew Fund, family, friends and others who believed in the cause.
“I’ve been very impressed with how the nonprofits in Frederick County work together,” Milyard said. “... It’s just been really refreshing to see how well the community works together to help serve others.”
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