Sleeping bag coats help keep Winnipeg's homeless warm

Some vulnerable Winnipeggers are getting unique coats, which transform into sleeping bags, to stay warm during the coldest stretch of the year so far.

"It means a whole lot to me," said Lee Levasseur, a homeless man who was finding shelter inside a downtown parkade when outreach workers found him wearing a thin jacket in35 C weather.

"This jacket I can feel the cold air coming up on my stomach."

The insulated sleeping bag coats are made from water-resistant canvas.The leg pouchtucksup the back of the jacket when it is not required, providing an added cushion when the user is sitting down in the coat.

When they want to liedown and stay warm, the pouch can bepulled out and over the feet and legs like a sleeping bag.

They're being handed out by Downtown BIZ's Community Homeless Assistance Team.

They're pretty heavy," saidChristyLoudon, CHAT's outreach program co-ordinator.

The BIZreceived 200 of them last winter from24-7 Intouch, aglobalcall centre headquartered in Winnipeg, which then reached out to local service agencies to distribute them to the city's vulnerable residents.

Loudonsays most of the jackets were given out early in thiswinter, but there are still 15-20 still available.

CHAT staff will drive around the city in theagency's outreachvan, looking for homeless people and offering them rides to shelters. Those who refusewill be offered one of the jackets as a backup plan.

Levasseursays he has tried going to shelters but he had a mood disorder that can make him angry, which in turn gets him into trouble at the shelters.

He also finds it difficult to sleep in a shelter because he doesn't feel safe.

"So I have to accept what I have, I guess," he said.

The jackets, in a way, representthe homeless helping the homeless.

They are made by a Detroit-based non-profit organization called the Empowerment Plan, which employs single parents from local shelters and provides them with training and full-time workso they can earn a stable income, find housing, and regain their independence.

Since 2012, the group hasdistributed more than 25,000 coats to people in 50 states and 10 Canadian provinces.

Taggart Porter, a CHAT outreach worker, says the jackets are durable and easy to maintain.

"They've just got buckles and Velcro and all stuff easy to fix. No zippers to break," he said. "I actually took one out for an overnight in the bush, to test it outwonderful jacket."