It is saddening to know that more than 2,500 homeless people died in just 5 years in England alone.
It is even more horrifying to imagine what that number for the whole world will add up to.
However, Geoffroy de Reynal is trying to change that.
Geoffroy, an engineer from France, has come up with a portable igloo-like camp that can be installed on an empty ground to make a place for spending the night in a warmer way.
He has since been praised worldwide very much and is being called a “modern hero.”
Until a few years ago, Geoffroy was working abroad. When he came back to Paris, he was deeply moved by the amount of homeless living on the streets of the French capital.
He noticed that most of the homeless people could not find a proper warm place to spend their nights and were forced to sleep under the open sky.
It was when Geoffroy decided to do something for the suffering poor of Paris.
He started to work on light, affordable and warm materials that could serve as a mobile home for the ones who didn’t have one.
Geoffroy made his first igloo using polyethylene foam, a material that helps keep the body heat inside the construction.
He lined the inside of the igloo with aluminum to keep it 50°F warmer than the surroundings.
The igloo shelter created by Geoffroy is also waterproof and can work well in a heavy downpour as well. After making a successful prototype in his backyard in Bordeaux, Geoffroy moved on to the next step.
It was time to raise money to mass-produce mobile homes for those in need.
Owing to an overwhelming response from people all over the world, Geoffroy was able to raise more than he planned. The money he raised from crowdfunding amounted to $20,000.
One of the main advantages of these igloos is their portability.
As much as a dozen of them can fit in a minivan and can very easily be transported. The homeless can carry them along in day and open them up at night to sleep inside them.
The igloos might not solve the homeless situation completely but they can at least make life on the streets a lot easier in the harsh weather.
Replaced!