Design student creates 'sleeping bag coat' for homeless people

[Are_grits_groceries]

<snip>
The Detroit native has watched the homeless population of her economically savaged city explode to more than 30,000 in recent years, and she wants to help.

"What I found, in working at shelters and getting to know homeless people, is that pride is one of their biggest needs," Scott said. "Whether or not they can get into a shelter, they want to be able to take care of themselves."

Part of that pride, Scott learned, meant being able to sleep outside without freezing to death. In Detroit in the winter, a homeless person can die of exposure even in the daytime.
To Scott, the logical thing was to devise a warm coat for the daytime that could also be used as a life-saving blanket at night.

<snip>
Scott takes synthetic quilting used in industrial clothing and stitches it to an outer shell of Tyvek, a paper-thin, crinkly material used in mail envelopes and building insulation. Tyvek is so water resistant and heat-trapping that Scott and her friends have been able to sleep in 17-degree weather, in the snow, and stay warm, she said.

The coat-bag weighs only 1 pound and looks like an extra-large coat with a big hood. It costs $7 to $10 to produce.
<snip>

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2011/09/10/BAHR1L2HK8.DTL#

This could save a lot of lives. Unfortunately, homeless shelters and programs for them are being severely cut.
Hopefully, someone will bankroll this project. Modifications may need to be made, but it's a promising start!

[shraby]

1. K and R

[Redneck Democrat]

2. Promising

And heartbreaking. Rec.

[99th_Monkey]

3. I'll give this a week, before these "coats" are determined to be "illegal" by DHS.

the only question is whether it will be a misdemeanor or a felony to be in possession of one.

[Tunkamerica]

4. Hoodies will get you shot, sleeping bag coats will get you driven to the edge of town or arrested

[1monster]

5. I see many applications for this -- not just for homeless people, but as

something to put in emergency kits for those likely to get trapped in winter storms or for areas that are prone to power outages in the winter.

I hope this person is able to get funding to produce these in the US -- That would create jobs which could also help to alleviate homelessness on a small scale (having a job helps in the avoidance of homelessness...)

Win-win.

[liberal N proud]

7. It would be great to have in the trunk of your car for winter travel

One for each passenger.

[Are_grits_groceries]

8. Great idea.

It will be more likely to get funding if more uses are announced. If they weren't extremely expensive, i would want one for an emergency kit.

[liberal N proud]

6. Who took the picture of my daughters room?

That last one looks just like my daughters room.

[SemperEadem]

11. ROFLMAO!

she must be very creative!

[liberal N proud]

13. If she only realized just how creative

[1monster]

14. If only my son's room looked that neat!

[BlueJazz]

9. I say the following with a sense of admiration and total sadness:: Only in America...

..the "Richest country in the world" would someone have to invent an item to keep a large part
of the population from freezing while sleeping in the gutter.

[Are_grits_groceries]

10. It is sad and exciting.

The cognitive dissonance is huge.

[SemperEadem]

12. what's even more beautiful

is that she invested her time, vision and talents to create this very important item. Artists make the world a better place.