20 Innovations for the Homeless

Bitter cold temperatures have already killed 34 people in northern India in 2009; many of these individuals were homeless. Homelessness is always at the forefront of a social activist's attention, but it's during the winter that the effects of homelessness are made most apparent.

Uttar Pradesh, one of India's poorest states, has a population of 180 million, 20% of whom are homeless. Pop-up mobile shelters have been developed around the world to provide a temporary place for the homeless to lay their heads. Such mobile shelters utilize innovative heating principles to help ward off cold-related deaths like those experienced in India this year.

Check out some other innovations specifically geared at the homeless in the slideshow below.