OUR PAID TO LEARN MODEL
OUR APPROACH
Although our largest impact to date has been through the global distribution of our sleeping bag coat, the lasting impact lies within our employees and our ability to help those we serve permanently exit homelessness. Empowerment Plan is tearing down barriers to employment faced by low-income parents and providing meaningful programs intended to close the skills gap.
We pair full-time employment with a wide range of supportive services and have already helped dozens of individuals achieve financial stability and independence for their whole family. Our approach addresses everything from housing and childcare to transportation, education and more. We have created an ecosystem of support through our community of partners to address the ever changing needs of our team.
Roughly 60% of the paid 40-hour work week is dedicated to coat production and the remaining 40% is time allocated to programming and supportive services.
Programs include:
GED, HSE, or Post-Secondary Education
Financial Health & Wellness
Professionalism and Leadership Training
Driver’s Education
Domestic Violence Support (My Beaten Heart)
Meditation and Mindfulness
Empowered Pantry & Nutritional Programming (JL Detroit Project EAT)
Supportive Services include:
Therapy
Case Management
Career Advancement Support
FAQs
Can I bring the Empowerment Plan model to my city?
We do indeed have plans to expand Empowerment Plan to other cities, eventually even other countries! For right now, however, our commitment remains with Detroit.
What is your hiring process like?
Our program staff works closely with local shelter partners to identify potential candidates for employment. This includes hosting informational sessions at various shelters, attending job fairs, and taking referrals. Once someone has submitted their application we host on-site interviews with potential candidates before offering employment.
