Paris, Nov 15: Homeless people in Paris, who frequently have their possessions stolen, now have access to a secure location where they can store their important documents -- cyberspace. Homelessness charity Emmaus said on Friday it had set up its first Internet center in a day shelter in central Paris. The center's dozen volunteers will show homeless people how to create email accounts and personal Web sites.

"We allow them to create their own site so that they can store all their important documents in a virtual house," said Emmaus spokeswoman Helene Thouluc.

"For people who live on the streets and who get their things stolen all the time, this allows them to create a protected space," she added.

The day shelter, which helps 500 homeless people a day, has nine new PCs donated by software giant Microsoft Corp Emmaus plans to open four more Internet centers in the Paris region in early 2004. Bureau Report