Help Purchase Sleeping Bag Coats for LA's Homeless

via Empowerment Plan

This fundraiser is designed to collect enough money to purchase as many warm sleeping bag coats as possible from Empowerment Plan, a nonprofit manufacturer which trains and fairly compensates its workforce, many of whom are parents hired out of shelters, and distribute them to those struggling with homelessness on the streets of Los Angeles.

The coats are sturdy, designed to withstand rough conditions, and water-resistant. A portion of the lining unfolds to transform it into a snug sleeping bag. One coat costs $125, which reflects the living wages, heavy-duty materials and operations involved in the production of each item. I have been in contact with representatives from the company and was given an estimate of around $8 per coat to ship, if buying 20 at once (a number chosen as a starting point). For 20 coats plus shipping, this works out to $2660 or $133 per coat. Any additional fees from GoFundMe's transaction costs (anticipated to be approx. $100-$150, depending on the number of donors) will come out of my pocket. Your donation will therefore go fully toward supporting Empowerment Plan's goals of training and supporting an overlooked community as well as directly assisting an unsheltered person.

In the last year the unhoused crisis in Los Angeles, already a growing problem, has exploded. What was once a disgrace to the city, exposing the dysfunction and bureaucratic obstacles between those who are in need and the systems designed to help them, has become a daily torrent of heartbreak and loss to tens of thousands of its citizens. 71% of the homeless population in California is living without shelter. We have left behind and continue to fail a significant portion of the population--over 128,000 in this state alone--in the richest country in the world.

via Getty Images

There are many ways to get involved, from mutual aid to community fridges, but the recent cold spell in LA and the increasingly frequent sightings of unhoused sleeping on the ground with zero shelter have pushed me into action. I have interacted with some of these people, who are too often ignored and rarely given the true help they need. I have witnessed them huddled on the sidewalk, dressed in not nearly enough protection from the elements, without any shelter, on nights when the winds topped 50 mph and temperatures dropped into the 40s. Enter The Empowerment Plan: a Detroit nonprofit founded in 2012 as a school project by Veronika Scott, who designed a coat that converts into a sleeping bag originally intended for those living on Michigan's frigid streets.

Since then the company has turned into a launching pad for homeless outreach, pivoting from donating coats to directly employing unhoused citizens. These workers spend roughly 60% of their work week manufacturing coats, with the remainder of the time in company-sponsored support including GED training and financial workshops. They are trained, paid fair wages, and empowered to contribute their skills to a higher cause.

via Empowerment Plan

All funds raised will be used to support homeless residents in Los Angeles. Once the threshold is reached, I will place the first order. Those 20 coats will be distributed at will to people spotted sleeping on the ground in the days following delivery. Any additional funds raised beyond the goal will continually go toward more coat orders. If there is not enough raised to equal the cost of a coat + delivery, remaining funds will be donated to mutual aid groups in Los Angeles or be contributed as direct aid to unhoused people ( = cash or supplies in their hands). 

I am passionate about transparency and accountability. All invoices/receipts will be documented and made available. I am purely interested in helping those who are desperate for help. I do not have plans to film the distribution of coats/direct aid out of respect for individuals' privacy and dignity, but I will whenever possible document my interaction with the recipient, noting their name/age/circumstances if they are willing to share it. I am not connected to any organization or charity, I am a working-class individual trying to help whoever I can reach. I welcome any questions or suggestions about this project and truly, deeply appreciate any support you can provide to the cause. Please, even if you can't donate, amplify this fundraiser by spreading the word however you can. Thank you and I love all of you!

-Christine

Sources:
EMPOWERMENT PLAN, www.empowermentplan.org/

Yan, Holly. “This Coat Design Isn't Just Saving Lives. It's Launching New Careers for Homeless People.” CNN, Cable News Network, 21 Jan. 2020, www.cnn.com/2020/01/21/us/detroit-empowerment-plan-homeless-program
 
“Empowerment Plan.” Rating by Charity Navigator, www.charitynavigator.org/ein/453265365

Ovshinsky, Noah. “To Warm The Homeless, A Coat That's A Sleeping Bag.” NPR, NPR, 8 Dec. 2010, www.npr.org/2010/12/13/131910671/to-warm-the-homeless-a-coat-that-s-a-sleeping-bag

Anderson, Max. “States with the Largest Homeless Populations.” Porch, Porch, 9 Dec. 2020, https://porch.com/advice/states-with-largest-homeless-populations

Staff, CBSLA. “California Has Third-Highest Homeless Population In US: Report.” CBS Los Angeles, CBS Los Angeles, 9 Dec. 2020, losangeles.cbslocal.com/2020/12/09/california-homeless-population-homelessness/

Ray, Lexis-Olivier. “In Sunny Los Angeles, More Homeless People Die From the Cold Than in SF and NYC, Combined ~ L.A. TACO.” L.A. TACO, 19 Jan. 2021, www.lataco.com/homeless-la-death-hypothermia/