Hidden Homelessness

Homelessness doesn’t always live on the streets

Imagine not having a place to call home; not knowing where your next bed might be; not having a safe and secure place to rest your head at night. This is the reality for thousands of young people in Wales each year. Sofa-surfing, winging it – whatever they might call it, the truth is, they are one of the many hidden homeless.

With more and more people each year finding themselves without a roof over their heads, hidden homelessness is becoming an epidemic. That’s why, alongside Shelter Cymru and the Welsh Government, we created a campaign to raise awareness of the problem, challenge negative perceptions and empower young people (and bystanders) to seek help.

Through a mixture of above the line and digital mediums – including TV, radio, Spotify, digital billboards, social media, targeted mobile and out of home – we prompted young people (and those around them) across Wales to become aware of hidden homelessness and get help.

Shot in first-person, encouraging viewers to truly ‘experience’ how it feels to be homeless, our hero film helped people to spot the warning signs and encouraged them to speak up if they are going through homelessness or know someone at risk.

To support our hero film, we created a series of real stories featuring young people who have experienced hidden homelessness, alongside Shelter Cymru workers who help people find secure housing.

We also ran a publicity ‘living room’ experiential event in Cardiff Central Library to attract media coverage, while raising awareness of the problem. Members of the public were invited to listen to first-hand accounts of homelessness and speak to Shelter Cymru for information and support.

Not only has our campaign received several awards, our message took-off across the nation. And for every person reached, there was one more pair of eyes and ears on the ground looking out for hidden homelessness.

Campaign results:

– 60,000 website visits (target was 50,000)

–  3,195 conversions (target was 1,000)

– 3 million impressions on search and display (2.8 million of which were young people)

– 5 million impressions on social media