Brussels homeless given cardboard tents to sleep in

'We live in one of the most comfortable countries in the world. I find it difficult to accept that human beings are spending the night on the streets,' says creator

(Chris J Ratcliffe/Getty Images)

Homeless people in Brussels will be given portable cardboard tents as part of a new charitable project being pioneered in the Belgian capital.

The ORIG-AMI project will allow rough sleepers to transport the tents with them on their backs as they find a place to sleep for the night.

The idea was sparked by a job rehabilitation centre as a way of working round the existing ban on material tents in the city, according to BX1.

The materials were donated by a local supplier and the tents were assembled by a work initiative at Lantin prison.

Organisers said they hoped it would give the city's homeless somewhere safe to sleep.

"We live in one of the most comfortable countries in the world. I find it difficult to accept that human beings are spending the night on the streets, on the pavements, outside our windows," Xavier Van der Stappen, who financed and distributed the first series of ORIG-AMI prototypes, told SudInfo.

"In Brussels, the capital of Europe, 2,600 people sleep rough. The number is increasing year after year. Such things happen in life, any one of us could find ourselves on the streets, and the homeless in our positions."

Around 20 tents were distributed at the Gare du Nord on Friday, in conjunction with "L'Appel du Coeur", another charity that distributed rucksacks packed with essentials.

Mr Van de Stappen said anyone can help the project by sponsoring an ORIG-AMI tent for €30 (£26). He hopes to distribute several hundred tents next year if the project is a success.