Australian philanthropist Tony Clark is on a mission to provide a bed for every Chicagoan without shelter.
While the ideal solution would be to offer affordable housing to all, Clark has come up with a temporary solution that could keep an estimated 1,600 unsheltered individuals warm — wherever they are.
He calls it the Backpack Bed.
“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,” Clark told WBBM News Radio.
“You can survive the freezing cold temperatures. You have the ability to sleep on ice, sleep on concrete, and it’ll keep you alive.”
The portable shelter easily rolls up and can be transported anywhere, helping people experiencing homelessness relocate as needed.
Other features also include storage and lockable pockets, a full-body mosquito net, and adjustable backpack straps.
The fabric itself is also military-grade, according to Clark.
“It’s waterproof. It’s fire retardant,” he said. “And the mattress that comes built in has a silver insulation on the base.”
This means that even in the coldest temperatures, the bed is meant to help people not only survive the cold but actually feel warmth.
It’s a solution that is especially necessary during the frigid winter months.
“I’ve been horrified to hear that Chicago hospitals are being inundated by folks trying to keep warm and stay alive, which is increasing hospital’s wait times, which is also increasing cost for the community," Clark told CBS News Chicago.
Each Backpack Bed costs about $124, but a 2018 impact study for the invention found that each one provides $3,319 in community savings in health, justice, and employment.
Now, Clark’s goal is to raise enough money to supply the approximately 1,600 Chicagoans who sleep on the street every night with one of their own. Through the nonprofit GoodNight Chicago, enough has been raised to supply over 25% of this population with a backpack.
So far, 412 have been distributed.
According to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s 2024 Point-in-Time counts, 5,157 people were experiencing homelessness in Chicago, with 1,632 going totally unsheltered.
On a larger scale, 2024 counts estimate that about 35.5% of people experiencing homelessness in the U.S. are unsheltered, meaning they do not have a place to sleep safely off of the streets — whether it’s a home of their own, a homeless shelter, or other sheltered space.
“Homelessness can affect anyone at any time. The tiniest life change can cause someone to lose everything they have in a blink of an eye,” GoodNight Chicago’s website reads.
“It’s a terrible place for anyone to be in as you will never know what will happen to you on the streets. Whatever the reason, people are sleeping on our streets and need immediate shelter to survive.”
Those who have already been given a Backpack Bed say it has made a real impact.
![A handwritten testimony about the Backpack Bed reads: "This Backpack Bed is the first step toward regaining my pride, dignity, and self-esteem. I spent two nights in the bitter cold, feeling awful. I had a good night’s sleep last night and no longer worry about a safe and comfortable night’s sleep, [so] I can concentrate on rebuilding and getting my life back on track. Very grateful."](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/5f6cc9cd16d59d990c8fca33/678ff30be9ed9add22e4ed84_678ff2c69abd61a25af163ac_backpack-bed-for-homeless.jpeg)
“This Backpack Bed is the first step toward regaining my pride, dignity, and self-esteem,” one user shared in an anonymous testimony. “I spent two nights in the bitter cold, feeling awful. I had a good night’s sleep last night and no longer worry about a safe and comfortable night’s sleep, [so] I can concentrate on rebuilding and getting my life back on track.”
“It’s the things like this that keep us alive,” another shared. “The small things that make us homeless people feel like real people again.”
Header image courtesy of GoodNight Chicago
