Shelter Fight For Home campaign: If not now, when?

shelterThink homelessness only affects those battling with drug and alcohol dependency? Think again. According to new research from housing charity Shelter, 1 in 3 people living in Britain (34%) – some 17.5 million – are impacted by the national housing emergency.

This stark finding is the trigger for a new campaign, Fight For Home, created by agency Who Wot Why, which centres on a film showing real people impacted by the housing emergency voicing their stories.

Directed by Independent Films’ director of Bafta-winning ‘Rocks’, Sarah Gavron and Anu Henriques, it is set to a track written and composed by Wretch 32.

The work broke in England and Scotland late last month, with a second burst of activity planned for October. The film is accompanied by outdoor, print and online ads, featuring black-and-white portraits shot by photographer Tom Cockram.

This will be complemented by an integrated content partnership with Vice Media. All media was planned and bought by Yonder Media.

Shelter head of marketing Willow Williams said: “The housing emergency has escalated to staggering levels, impacting the lives of one in three of us. Meanwhile, the global health crisis has made things a whole lot worse. This situation demanded an urgent and unflinching campaign to inspire everyone to join Shelter in the fight for home.”

Who Wot Why founder and executive creative director Sean Thompson added: “With one in three impacted by the housing emergency, this isn’t just about street homelessness; it’s about people and families up and down the country who don’t have somewhere safe to sleep, and who are moving from sofa to sofa, trapped in often dangerous temporary accommodation, often cutting back on food to pay their housing costs, or living in fear of being evicted.

“We uncovered the raw truths from conversations with the people who use Shelter’s services and translated this into provocative OOH and a powerful track to force the message home. The results are grounded in lived experience and empathy from the heart of this complex, yet often hidden issue.”

So, what is the consensus around the Decision Marketing office?

It is a scandal, that is the consensus. How successive Governments have allowed this situation to get so bad is nothing short of an outrage and anything that highlights the injustice of it all is to be applauded.

What we really need is legislation to ensure everyone has the right to a roof over their head, free from the threat of eviction, abuse and worse. In the meantime, organisations like Shelter are doing sterling work and need all our support.

What are you waiting for?

Decision Marketing Adometer: A fully supportive 10 out of 10