WLM launches its first - ever advertising campaign - bringing to life the human side of homelessness. #NotWhoTheyAre

WLM x AMV BBDO – ‘Not Who They Are’

In London, we’ve seen an 18% year-on-year rise in homelessness from 2018 to 2019. The topic is rarely out of the news and is increasingly visible on our streets.

But everyone seems to think it’s someone else’s problem…
We’ve all done it – walked past that homeless person on the street. Whether out of lack of time, fear or just being unsure what to do - we all assume/hope that the next person will.

But what happens when we all do that?

Homelessness is a problem we can’t afford to ignore – so we wanted to make the problem feel more real for people… To make them think twice about walking past homeless individuals without taking action.

So, as part of our ongoing partnership with AMV BBDO, we delivered our first-ever advertising campaign - to bring to life the human side of homelessness.
It’s too often the case that ‘the homeless’ are all bucketed into the same group, who all suffer from the same problems.
They are wrongly defined by their situation.
But we all know that everyone has their own distinct skill sets, passions, dislikes, and – ultimately – personalities…So why should homeless people be viewed otherwise?

Our campaign seeks to help people relate more to the people they might see on the streets – each of them with different backgrounds, different problems, different strengths and different stories.

In making the problem feel more real, our hope is that people will consider helping our mission of getting homeless individuals off the street and, more importantly, into permanent accommodation and employment.
Because homeless is what they are, not who they are.

#NotWhoTheyAre

The campaign is currently live on our WLM social channels (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram), and will be live in OOH (Out Of Home) across Marylebone Underground station in the first 2 weeks of December.
We are also organising a Carol Service in the station on 10th December, to help encourage donations via selected donation boxes.

We respect the individuality of our service users and offer a range of services across the capital which help them off the street and into more fulfilling lives.
This includes:

• A counselling service through WLM Highbury Counselling Centre.
• An ex-military supported housing project, WLM Burgess Park House, offering our veterans pathways towards stable accommodation and employment.
• WLM Seymour Place, a service offering support for homeless people and rough sleepers.
• Finance, budgeting and IT workshops through the WLM St Luke’s service.
• WLM The Haven service, which helps men with alcohol addiction problems.
• WLM Katherine Price Hughes (KPH) house, a high-level support approved premises for high-risk offenders leaving prison.

Donate via the website at wlm.org.uk/donate

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CAMPAIGN CREDS

Creative Directors: Jamie Starbuck, Prabhu Wignarajah, Olga Pope, Gina Kelly

Creative Team: Lily Kn, Oneikeh Campbell

Strategist: Michael Alhadeff

Project Manager: Sara Hoile

Account Team: Amy Tippen, Harry Buggé

WLM Client: Panos Balalas, Roger Clark

Print Production: EG+