Some people look forward to winter simply because the cold weather brings them joy and happy memories. They enjoy sipping a hot cup of cocoa, staring outside through the window while comfortably seated inside their warm and cozy homes. And isn’t that an ideal scene when the temperature starts hitting below zero?

However, there are some people who don’t share the same excitement and happiness when the weather starts to get cold because they don’t have a roof over their heads to protect them. Truth be told, there are countless homeless people who are bothered during this time of the year.

More than worrying about their food for the day, they fear more about surviving the freezing cold weather outside. They live each day of their lives under such a predicament and everything even becomes more challenging when the temperature becomes extremely low.

No country is excluded in this social problem about homelessness, even the rich countries, like France. Thankfully, there are people who are making breakthrough inventions in order to lessen and to help the less fortunate, like the homeless ones.

His name is Geoffroy De Reynal and he is changing the world of homeless people, one shed at a time.

He is an engineer from France and he realized this life-long problem has become worse when he got back to the country after working overseas as a quality manager on wind turbine construction sites.

“I was living abroad in Montenegro for a year, and there are not much people living outside there. When I came back to France, I was surprised by the number of homeless in the streets, so I decided to come up with an idea to help them,” De Reynal told ABC News.

Having the intention to give the homeless something they can call their “own”, he came up with an idea which he soon called, “Iglou”. It is an igloo-like shelter that’s made out of Polyethylene foam, a material that can retain body heat.

These igloo looking shelters are all covered in aluminum foil and when describing what it’s like to be inside the “Iglou”, he said that, “the temperatures inside the igloos are about 60 degrees Fahrenheit higher than outside. And it is also waterproof.”

A man on a mission.

A few years back, the French engineer made the first set of igloos using his own hard-earned money. He soon started an online crowdfunding campaign and received around $20,000, an amount that he did not expect to reach.

“Using my resources and the money from the crowd funding campaign, I built 20 igloos prototypes this winter and distributed 10 in Bordeaux, and 10 additional in Paris,” he said.

These little igloo looking shelters can be assembled within seconds, they’re also foldable and very light in weight, making them portable and easy to carry from one place to another. For its interior, it’s lined with an aluminum coating making it fire-resistant, so worry not with those cigarette butts.

A temporary aide but definitely not a permanent solution.

His idea sure has helped a lot of homeless people, however, De Reynal knew it wouldn’t suffice as a permanent solution in stopping or slowing down the increasing number of homeless people in the country.

“I am not trying to replace emergency accommodations,” he explained. “I am just trying to make life a bit less difficult for homeless people. Having one of these igloos does not mean that you are not a homeless anymore.”

Geoffroy hopes to produce more shelters and in a much larger quantity. He also had some great ideas about improving them like putting wheels on them and creating larger versions, something large enough to accommodate an entire family.

We all hope that De Reynal’s idea could reach more countries, it may not be the cure for homelessness, but it is a good start. It’s a brilliant and well-thought idea, it doesn’t only give a homeless person shelter but more like the protection that will help them get through life, especially during the cold season.

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Source: My Positive Outlooks, Facebook/Iglou, ABC News, Iglou