BY: M. TOMOSKI
When Veronika Scott was given the challenge by her college professor to create something that can make a difference in the community, she chose to help the struggling city of Detroit by creating The Empowerment Plan (TEP). According to Michigan’s Campaign to End Homelessness, nearly 35,000 individuals in the city of Detroit are homeless, over 5,000 of whom are children. Scott set out to provide much-needed warmth to these individuals by creating a self-heating coat for all seasons, which turns into a sleeping bag at night and a bag.
The coat was created in close collaboration with those to whom it is distributed free of charge. “We take feedback very seriously: the changes we’ve made to the coat come directly from the suggestions of people who’ve received the coats,” said Cassie Coravos, a Project Manager at TEP.
According to The Empowerment Plan, approximately 7% of homeless individuals die each year from hypothermia, a statistic which the EMPWR coat can reduce by over 20%.
A single coat, made from donated fabrics and automobile insulation, costs $100 to manufacture, covering the costs of materials and labour. Since it began making the coats in 2012, TEP has distributed 15,000 coats in partnership with individuals and various organizations with the means to distribute the coats across 29 states in the US and 3 Canadian provinces. Their goal this year is to produce and distribute 6,500 coats.
After being confronted by a member of the community in the early days of the project, Scott took her idea one step further realizing that the coat could provide more than just warmth and become a larger part of the solution to homelessness. Today the Empowerment Plan works with the Coalition on Temporary Shelter in Detroit to hire seamstresses to make the coats for a living wage.
“We believe in giving second chances to those who want it, and providing warmth to those who need it,” TEP’s mission statement says.
Despite criticisms that “the homeless people she hired would be worthless,” Scott’s project currently employs 20 previously homeless people, many of whom are parents from local shelters. They are hired to work full-time as seamstresses and are trained by the company with no previous experience required.
“Every day I enjoy proving all of those people wrong. Everyone I hire is powerful, driven, and I’m lucky to be a part of their lives,” Scott says.
One of those employees, Star Lloyd, was able to move into a three-bedroom home with her children after being hired by TEP. “I wake up every day feeling stronger, independent and blessed,” Lloyd says.
“When I applied for the job, I had a background in manufacturing and sewing and a desire to make an impact in the community through design,” Coravos told The Plaid Zebra. “It’s been an honor and a privilege to go to work each day surrounded by strong men and women. They’ve overcome so much and are a daily inspiration.”
While it is currently based in Detroit, in the coming years, TEP is interested in expanding its initiative to other cities and will have a retail version of the coat available later this year.
