No matter one’s position in life, the title of that old children’s book applies: “Everyone Poops.” From a manual laborer all the way to royalty, nature’s call is one we all must answer – sometimes more urgently than others! That’s why even The Queen City must admit that she’s ready to PHLUSH.

Founded in the Pacific Northwest, Public Hygiene Let’s Us Stay Human (PHLUSH) is a registered nonprofit focused on toilet availability. The City of Cincinnati has some history of working with this organization: in 2015, Cincinnati opened a Portland Loo at Smale Riverfront Park, and volunteers with PHLUSH provided information to Cincinnati leaders at that time. For those who don’t remember, the Portland Loo is specifically designed to meet PHLUSH’s seven principles for public restrooms: Cost-effectiveness, maximum function in minimum space, safety, accessibility, availability, attractiveness, and ease of maintenance.

But why did we stop at Smale Riverfront Park?

The truth is that access to toilets should be considered a basic human right. What do we expect someone to do during an emergency if no private businesses allow public access to their facilities? Whether we consider pregnant women, families with young children, people with medical conditions, those struggling with homelessness, or even our senior citizens, there is no profile immune from this issue.

That’s why we are proud to announce CincyPHLUSH!


Like our parent organization, those of us at CincyPHLUSH understand that denying a person the ability to meet an essential biological need is an affront to human rights and personal dignity. CincyPHLUSH will begin work immediately to advance public restroom equity across Greater Cincinnati and Hamilton County. In the coming weeks, we will announce press events, draft plans, and updates as we build a coalition dedicated to making sure, when the worst happens, everyone has a place to go.

If you live in the Cincinnati area and are interested in learning more, please contact Jason at jasonhaap@gmail.com!