As bitterly cold temperatures move across our region, a shelter in Evansville, Indiana is giving out some life-saving equipment to the homeless.
It may look like a jacket, but the unique garment doubles as a sleeping bag that protects against severe cold.
Joshua Nichols is senior vice president for the Evansville Rescue Mission, which serves men in the Vanderburgh County region. He says the jackets are given to men who don’t want to stay in the shelter for one reason or another. However, Nichols says there’s an offer that comes before the jacket. Counselors at the mission talk with the homeless person about possible ways to improve their situation.
“We want to know that shelter is an option for them first, before they want to continue to sleep on the streets or a place that’s not meant for a person to live in.”
The rescue mission began giving out the sleeping bag jackets last winter. About a dozen have been given out, so far, this year. The shelter hopes to give out more as winter weather moves through the region.
Nichols says the mission has about a $200 investment in each sleeping bag jacket, including the cost, adding a mission logo and staff time.
