One brief. 24 hours. Using the power of digital to bring homelessness back into the view of millennials
People are checked out. It’s time they check in. Homeless people in the UK and the world are dehumanised and misunderstood, and because of this the problem of homelessness is routinely ignored, whether it’s on the streets or not. But, if we actually took a moment to listen to their stories, we’d realise that in reality the only thing separating us is circumstance. So use existing behaviour to bring the issue
of homelessness close to home?
Our close to home campaign would plant welcome mats across the UK and use their locations to create real check-in places on Facebook and Instagram. The installations will have a simple message underneath, asking people to check into old “homes” on social to encourage a donation. Once people arrive at the landing pages, they’ll see curated stories from people Depaul have helped and ways they can help too.
The idea would also extend on Twitter, where we’d post Twitter handles across cities, linking to pages that host personal stories of homelessness and drive back to the overall campaign. All stories will dispel myths and have an underlining message: no one ever imagines they’ll end up homeless, but the reality is it’s much easier than you think.
Harnessing the power of social media and familiar social conventions, combined a physical presence, the Close to Home Depaul campaign bridges the gap between our physical and digital selves, to bring the issue of homelessness closer to all of us.