Chance The Rapper is proving exactly why he was recently named Chicagoan of The Year, with the artist’s latest endeavour being an initiative to raise $100,000 in order to give 1000 coats to Chicago’s homeless community, and those in need.
Speaking to local radio show Chicago Morning Takeover, after his incredible performance on Saturday Night Live, the rapper discussed his project dubbed simply Warmest Winter. The rapper is partnering up with Empowerment Plan in Detroit, a company that makes coats for homeless people.
“It’s a very insulated coat, but the cool thing about it is that at night time, the back hatch of the coat flips out and turns into a sleeping bag,” Chance explained on the show. “The coolest part of this two-part plan is that they only hire homeless women to work in the factories to make these coats and pay them above minimum wage to do it. It’s a longterm plan to help out with homeless people in Detroit. I’m partnering with these folks for something called ‘Warmest Winter’.”
If the plan in Chicago works, a new Empowerment Plan factory could be built in the city. Chance, who has worked previously with Chicago school children, explained in detail why this initiative should be important to the city.
“There’s 140,000 homeless folks in Chicago right now,” Chance explained. “A lot of them are youth. They found out earlier this year that 20 percent of Chicago Public School children are homeless. Chicago has one of the coldest winters in America and a lot of people die of hypothermia and coldness related illnesses.”
Chance hopes that by January 6th, they will reach their goal. You can donate here.