Innovative Help for the Homeless

My humanity is bound up in yours.

We can only be human together.

                 Desmond Tutu

In 2012, Veronika Scott needed to design something useful for a school project. She went to a homeless shelter in Detroit to get ideas from people in need. With the help of several homeless folks, she designed a coat that became a sleeping bag at night.

When one woman told her that she didn’t need a coat - she needed a job – Veronika realized that her project was about to get much bigger. From that humble beginning came The Empowerment Plan, a 501(c)3 Organization that employs formerly homeless women, pays them a living wage and offers a wide range of supportive services that help ensure their financial stability and independence - everything from housing and childcare to transportation, education and more.

In this 2016 video, Veronika demonstrates the Sleeping Bag Coat and tells the story of how it led to an innovative program that changes the lives of homeless woman and their families.

In this inspiring 2019 video, Veronika talks about her journey that led to the creation of The Empowerment Plan, the people whose lives have been uplifted and how she has changed in the process.  She has encouragement for people who may be inspired to begin a project or take one to the next level.

The Empowerment Plan

Since its inception in 2013, the Empowerment Plan has created 90 jobs that impacted 275 children and distributed 43,000 coats.

To learn more about this innovative organization, click here

Sleeping Bag Coat Project in Asheville, North Carolina

Living with Kindness is located in Asheville. We are on a mission to get as many sleeping bag coats as possible to those who are sleeping outside on these cold winter nights.

At this time, there are hundreds of homeless men, women and children in the Asheville area. Shelters cannot accommodate them all, so many are living and sleeping outside in all kinds of weather. Twenty people die from homeless-related causes every year in this area, some from freezing to death. These coats can save lives.

We have created a GoFundMe page to raise money for as many coats as possible. If this speaks to your heart, please go to:

https://www.gofundme.com/ashevillehomelesshelp

to be a part of this compassionate project.

The coats are donated to the homeless free of charge. A donation of any size will help us bring more coats to Asheville  Each coat costs $125 and shipping is $15. Every dollar helps us reach more people. Money raised goes directly to the Empowerment Plan, and they send the coats to us so we can distribute them to organizations that provide services to the homeless in the area.

Thank you for joining us on our kindness journey. 

What are your thoughts. Please leave a comment below.

Help us spread the message of kindness.

If you know others who might appreciate these ideas, please share below.

We’re grateful that you are on this journey with us.

With love from our hearts to yours,

Pat and Larry