This free retail clothing store helps those in need find jobs
A clothing store in Denver is giving back to the homeless community in a big way.
Impact Humanity bills itself as "the world's first free retail clothing store" that serves the homeless. After struggling with homelessness himself, Travis Smith, CEO of the non-profit organization Impact Locally, made it his mission to give back and address the needs of homeless by providing access to clothing throughout the year.
“I saw some of the realities and a lot of the myths behind homelessness,” Smith told “GMA.”
“Initially, we had clothing handouts every month where we would serve about 1,000 people a month,” he explained. “The unfortunate thing is they were still shopping out of a parking lot. They were still taking clothes out of a bin and they weren’t able to try it on before they took it.”
That's why the store was designed to make people who enter “feel like a normal human being, get clothing off of a rack, and try it on in a fitting room.”
The volunteer-based store serves about 2,500 people a month.
Impact Humanity has everything from jeans and ties to winter jackets and sneakers, but the most unique part of the shop is its career resource center.
“We have guidance counselors that help people every day with writing resumes, finding jobs, accessing where to get IDs, and how to sign up on Medicaid,” Smith said. “We provide them with a number of resources they may not know about to help them survive.”
Smith and his team help an average of 15 to 20 people each week get back to work.
"We've seen a lot of tears and have gotten a lot of hugs and handshakes," Smith shared. "There has been an outpouring of support, not only from the homeless community, but from other organizations, businesses, and the local community to make this happen and continue to grow."
