(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — A humanitarian from Australia has invented a way to help protect people who are experiencing homelessness, and he's brought it to Chicago.
Tony Clark created the "Backpack Bed for Homeless."
He says it's a portable shelter that people experiencing homelessness can easily carry with them.
“The backpack bed is a 6.6 pound ergonomic backpack that you can put belongings in, but it rolls out into a shelter that has a built-in mattress, which is insulated. You can survive the freezing cold temperatures. You have the ability to sleep on ice, sleep on concrete, and it'll keep you alive,” Clark said.
The backpack bed also protects people from other hazards, outside of the cold, Clark says.
“If I was unsheltered, what would I need? We would obviously need a backpack to put our gear in, and we'd need a shelter. But we didn't leave it just there.
“The fabric itself is military grade. It's waterproof. It's fire retardant. And the mattress that comes built in has a silver insulation on the base. So you can literally sleep on a block of ice or concrete, and instead of feeling the cold that it's deadly, you will actually feel warmth.”
Each backpack costs $124 to make, and Clark hopes to raise more than $200,000 dollars to provide more than 1,600 of them to people in Chicago experiencing homelessness.
You can find more information or donate by visiting the Good Night Chicago website.
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