A Vancouver-based legal advocacy centre for “marginalized persons” has unveiled a novel way of assisting the city’s homeless: a blanket printed with rights information. The Pivot Legal Society is passing out 500 of the blankets, which were made in partnership with Mountain Equipment Co-op. The legal rights information — 1,500 words worth — is printed on the blanket in 26-point text, and covers people’s rights about panhandling, security guards and police, welfare and disability, and health care.
“We wanted to create a product that would be not only useful on the practical level for someone living on the streets, but also effective as way of informing people about their rights under the law,” PLS director John Richardson said in the press release. The first batch of 500 blankets is almost gone and the Society is asking for donations to make and distribute more.