Empowerment Plan distributes 100,000th coat to COTS Detroit
Representatives of Empowerment Plan and COTS Detroit gather for a photo on March 17.
Empowerment Plan, a Detroit-based, workforce development organization that produces sleeping bag coats for people experiencing homelessness, distributed its milestone 100,000th coat to COTS Detroit, its longest- running partner, on March 17.
COTS is a Detroit-based nonprofit alleviating homelessness by providing shelter and essential services that help participants achieve self-sufficiency. The organization will give the coat to a COTS resident emerging from homelessness.
“It is tremendously meaningful that our 100,000th coat is going to our longest-running partner, who for the past 16 years has worked alongside us to create pathways out of homelessness for people in Detroit,” said Veronika Scott, founder and CEO of Empowerment Plan.
“Both Empowerment Plan and COTS believe deeply that people are not defined by their hardest moments. We exist to walk alongside individuals and families as they build stability, reclaim their voice, and shape their own future. This milestone reflects the power of investing in people and what becomes possible when we
do.”
Dual-purpose clothing
Empowerment Plan’s EMPWR coats transform into sleeping bags and are distributed in all 50 states and 22 countries across the globe.
The people who make EMPWR Coats are hired from homeless shelters and other agencies across Detroit and receive full- time jobs and wraparound services, including GED classes, financial literacy, resume and job searching, access to case workers, legal assistance, mental health support and more, as part of their paid workweek.
COTS was an early partner connecting the families they serve with job opportunities at Empowerment Plan, a pipeline that continues to this day. But the two organizations go back even further, to 2010, when Scott first designed the EMPWR coat as part of a class project.
‘Full-circle moment’
“This is a full-circle moment,” said Cheryl P. Johnson, CEO of COTS. “From the first day Veronika came to COTS as a student to learn about the realities of homelessness and our work, to the milestone 100,000th coat, it’s a powerful reminder of what is possible through thoughtful partnerships and positive action.”
“This partnership has strengthened COTS by reinforcing what we’ve always known: families don’t just need shelter, they need support and opportunities to succeed,” Johnson added.
“For the 100,000th coat, we knew we wanted to keep it home in Detroit, the city where it was made, and give it to the partner that has been with us since day one,” Scott said.
“We look forward to continuing our work alongside COTS, creating pathways for families to build stability, opportunity, and the futures they define for themselves.”
