What’s up, everybody?
On this episode of Andrea’s Philanthropy Blog posts, we’re gonna talk about The Empowerment Plan! (Oooo! Ahhhhh!). The EP is a non-profit organization that works out of Detroit to combat homelessness and creates jobs to lift people out of poverty in the area. Their mission is to permanently elevate families from the generational cycle of homelessness.
I do not have any personal connection to this organization, and I chose it because I feel they are approaching this issue in a creative and innovative way. Essentially what The Empowerment Plan does is make and distribute coats to homeless people. This coat, termed the EMPWR coat, is designed specifically for homelessness. It is a water-resistant jacket, which can transform into a sleeping bag, or be worn as an over-the-shoulder bag when not in use. The coat is constructed of durable, water-resistant Cordura fabric from Carhartt, upcycled automotive insulation from General Motors, and other materials provided by donors. They have distributed 25,000+ EMPWR coats across 49 states in the US, 10 Canadian provinces, and several countries internationally. It costs $100 to sponsor a coat, which covers the cost of labor, materials, and overhead expenses.
What I feel is really neat is The Empowerment Plan exclusively hires single parents from local shelters to work and make the coats. These parents are given full-time employment and all the training they need to become seamstresses. Over the past 6 years, the EP has employed 45 individuals. All of these individuals have now acquired professional skills and found permanent housing for their families. I think this is a great approach because it offers short-term relief to individuals while also helping address the issue in the long run. Some charities could work to help the homeless by donating coats that were ultimately purchased from regular companies. But this solution is very integral in the fact that even the money that goes into making the coat helps homelessness.
This is an organization worthy of support because homelessness is a real issue in this country. Over 500,000 Americans were estimated to be homeless as of 2015. In Detroit (~18,000 homeless), families make up 49% of the homeless population. The Empowerment Plan attacks homelessness in a great, effective way and I can’t wait to tell you guys more on Thursday!
Their website:
http://www.empowermentplan.org
Homelessness statistic sources:
Dear Andrea,
ReplyDeleteYou have chosen a great organization for your Charity Pitch. EP tackles the big issue of homelessness in a truly amazing and creative way. While browsing their website, I found out that their founder and CEO, Veronica Scott came up with the idea of the jacket while doing a project for her class. In several years, she spoke in front of the UN as a young woman change-maker, a great journey. That being said, I like their job program and how they not only provide a short term relief. Moreover, the organization embraces a global mission and looks outside of the US borders to help homeless. However, I have a concern regarding their financials. After doing some research, I could not find any financial information that could give me an idea where our money would potentially go. It also does not help that neither Charity Pitch or Give Well grades the organization since it's recent. They have listed a lot of ongoing fundraiser events on their website but without their financial information we can not really determine how effective are they. Overall, a really creative idea that has a lot of potential to grow and make a world wide difference.
Hi Andrea!
ReplyDeleteI found this charity pitch very interesting because I’d never heard of a concept like the EMPWR coat. At first, I was skeptical why this was the method The Empowerment Plan employed in order to combat homelessness. I wondered why the organization didn’t aim to work more towards the prevention of homelessness. However, the rationality of it reminds me of past pitches, that supported organizations which fought malaria through the distribution of bednets as opposed to the funding of research aimed at fighting the disease. While prevention is important for future cases, The Empowerment Plan works to protect people who are currently homeless. Furthermore, I agree that the organization’s ability to provide jobs through the creation of the coats is remarkable. This addresses the issue from two different angles.
The only question that remains for me is how you came across this organization, and why this particular issue area interests you so much.
Hi Andrea,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your engaging post. The Empowerment Plan seems like a really effective organization in the way they approach homelessness in the Detroit area. Out of the entire state of Michigan, Detroit has the highest homeless rates and as you said, homelessness in the United States is a pressing issue with over 550,000 people experiencing it on a given night. This may be because homelessness is a serious issue that is sometimes difficult to tackle for many organizations. How can organizations effectively solve the issue on both an immediate and long-term scale? The Empowerment Plan attempts to answer this question. Not only do they create and provide unique and durable coats, I find it significantly noteworthy that they also empower the homeless through employment opportunities. The Empowerment Plan has transformed the lives of 45 homeless individuals by hiring them to work for the organization. This form of empowerment allows these employees to learn new skills and fight their way out of poverty. This approach is a concept that I learned in my social work class, called strengths-based practice. Through this approach, individuals are empowered to focus on their strengths and utilize them in a way that is resourceful and self-sufficient to help them face their adversities. By employing the homeless, the Empowerment Plan collaborates with these community members to use their own tactful skills in creating coats while allowing them to gain professional skills and work towards getting off the streets. Not only does the organization provide a short term solution, they also aim towards achieving long term goals and solutions for the homeless themselves.
To relate this to our class discussion, I think organizations that work to tackle both short term and long term problems around the community are significantly effective. For example, the Boys and Girls Club has a similar program which they plan to fund if our class were to accept their application for the program grant. The Summer Teen Employment program gives youth real hands-on experiences that both empowers them to achieve self-sufficiency and allows them to gain necessary skills for the future, very similar to the approach taken by The Empowerment Plan. I think both organizations are doing a fantastic job to help empower individuals and find long term solutions for issues in the community. Thank you for sharing the Empowerment Plan with the class! I’m excited to learn more during your presentation!