When you are homeless that is not all you are. Yet, that is how people are defined and understood and spoken about.  The truth is, reducing their humanity to this one word compounded the brutal nature of the life they were living. It further lessened them, diminished them.  So, for the first time, Dublin Simon made a campaign that speaks directly to homeless people, rather than about them. It is both an apology and a hymn to their humanity and the richness of their lives. They deserve nothing less.

The campaign launched on social and VOD, with a film that captured a series of raw and authentic portraits of people who have gone through or are going through homelessness. On radio, we spoke directly to those affected by homelessness. In print and on OOH, we collaborated with Dublin street artist Maser, and he designed pieces inspired by the latest version of his iconic U Are Alive, mural. These posters were meant to be found by homeless people. Sometimes, in spots and places where they might hide from the world and sometimes just in places they might come across as they wandered the streets of the city. Finally, on St Patrick’s Day, a day of national pride when our streets are filled with revellers, we released another radio execution which confronted listeners with the reality the homeless face on our streets.

As well as fundraising, the specific aim of this campaign was to increase awareness of Dublin Simon among a younger audience and widen their donor base. This is exactly what happened. In tracking before and after the campaign, Dublin Simon’s spontaneous awareness among people under 34 skyrocketed from 16% to 38% - the highest among all homeless charities in Dublin. Furthermore, overall spontaneous awareness among the entire audience increased from 18% to 37%. With the result that we introduced a whole new generation of younger potential donors to Dublin Simon.