Street Swags Wins 2009 Design Index Award!

by Shannon Moriarty · 2009-08-31 12:23:00 UTC
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Thanks to your votes, Street Swags has won the prestigious international Index Design People's Choice award! A hearty congratulations to the founder, Jean Madden, and the entire organization for this impressive recognition.

A bit about the winning design, from the Index Awards announcement:

A bed and bag with room for belongings, Street Swags are made of lightweight, waterproofed canvas with a high-density foam mattress. It offers its users a degree of comfort, warmth, and protection from the weather. Designed for those living on the streets, its discreet appearance offers some safety for those who need to be ‘invisible.' The simplicity of the design enables low-skilled workers to manufacture the swags efficiently while minimizing waste of raw materials.

To date, over 10,000 Street Swags have been distributed to Australia's homeless.

And to learn more about the evolution of Street Swags, from the idea of a schoolteacher to an internationally recognized design, check out this interview with our very own Dominic Mapstone from the Homeless Forums.

Shannon Moriarty has worked in various homeless shelters and service organizations around the country. She is a graduate student studying housing and urban policy at Tufts University.
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