Skip to Content

Former Pueblo homeless man using soap to help other homeless people

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- Soap has become a bigger deal that it used to be, with various stores selling it exclusively; and a man who was once homeless is now using soap to give back to his community.

KRDO

Brad Higgins said that he became homeless after going through a divorce, and became partners with Claudia Sammer, who owns Blue Bison Soapery in downtown Pueblo.

KRDO

Shortly after the store opened in late 2020, Higgins came up with the idea to donate bars of soap to the homeless.

The store makes and sells soap for customers, and soon started providing hundreds of bars of soap each month.

KRDO

"At first, I left bars outside the store that homeless people could walk by and take," he said. "I can relate to them because I remember how hard it was to get soap when I was homeless. Soap is a precious commodity to the homeless. We take a full-size bar and cut it into three pieces because it's easier for homeless people to carry around and they won't waste as much of it."

KRDO

Higgins said that he decided to distribute his soap in a more efficient manner, so he recently agreed to provide 400 bars of soap monthly to a mobile shower unit operated by the Pueblo Cooperative Care Center.

Pueblo Cooperative Care Center

"We could probably go through 800 bars a month," said Wayne Brown, a Center spokesman. "But the people who use those free bars are very happy to get them -- even though they often bathe in city fountains, in the (Fountain) Creek or in the (Arkansas) River because of limited facilities."

Pueblo Cooperative Care Center

Higgins said that his next plan is to start a business making and selling candles, hiring homeless people as employees.

"There's a big demand and a limited supply for candles right now," he said. "I want to start a business than can make them on a large scale -- and I could hire a lot of people to work."

Higgins also said that he pays for the free soap by giving plasma several times a month.

Article Topic Follows: Top Stories

Jump to comments ↓

Scott Harrison

Scott is a reporter for KRDO. Learn more about Scott here.

BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION

KRDO NewsChannel 13 is committed to providing a forum for civil and constructive conversation.

Please keep your comments respectful and relevant. You can review our Community Guidelines by clicking here

If you would like to share a story idea, please submit it here.

Skip to content