Class project empowers Detroiters in need: "It is very surreal"
(CBS DETROIT) - About 75,000 people have been impacted by a Detroit woman's class project. What appears at first to be a jacket is much more, and it's helping to keep people alive.
The Empowerment Plant project has since become a form of protection for thousands of people in need, and it all started with a coat.
"It is very surreal that it started off as this crazy class project in college," said Veronika Scott, CEO of Empowerment Plan.
"It's very warm. It goes to about zero degrees, and it's water resistant. It's meant to be used for many seasons, and then what is unique to us is you'll see there's what looks like a giant pocket that folds out of the back. And that is what we call the footbag. But that is where you can actually slide your feet in and keep them warm."
The idea was developed from Scott's personal experience.
"I grew up in a situation of poverty and homelessness as well. And so this was an opportunity to create something that I wish my own family had had the chance to get. That terror of week to week, month to month, day to day is just something that takes a long time to break out of," Scott said. "It's devastating to see somebody out in that. Maybe they can't get a bed for that night. Maybe they can get a bed, but they can't get into it until 8 p.m. or 5 p.m., and so they're outside the entire day."
The jacket has since evolved from product to program.
"It's really a two-year employment opportunity. We consider ourselves like a stepping-stone employer. So we hire directly from shelters, community agencies, housing programs. And then people are with us for about two years before going on into something else. And they really use this as an opportunity while they're here. Yes, to earn an income, yes, to learn the skill of selling, but really also pursue other passions or dreams or certifications," Scott said
"That is really about the career path that they want to be on. So, while somebody's here, they're getting paid to produce the coat, but they are also getting paid to go to yoga classes, getting paid to meet with a therapist, getting paid to get their GED or their driver's license. Because all of those things are huge barriers that prevent you from that kind of next step."
While Scott helps people take their next step professionally, she is working hard to keep up, and the need for the convertible coat continues to rise.
"We had, you know, sold out for two years in a row. All of our coats were spoken for. And on top of that, we had an 8,000-person waiting list for coats globally," she said.
But even as the wait for warmth grows, Scott stays positive about how far they have come.
"To imagine a class project that was out of a utility closet of a shelter to our own 20,000 square foot building on the east side of Detroit. If you had told me that years ago, I would have laughed at you. To be where we are now as an organization to, you know, impact it over 75,000. People around the world, with the coats and to have employed, you know, over 100 individuals, over the years, It is very surreal," she said.
This year, the Empowerment Plan will send out 11,000 jackets to the homeless before this winter season is over.
