See, believe and #StopTheBus
Homelessness. The homeless. Sleeping bags, train stations, sandwich boxes and cardboard signs. Our understanding of this complex issue is tied up in what we can see and we all - the media, the sector and the government - perpetuate this through our imagery and narrative.
But homelessness is so much more. More than rough sleeping and those who have been left with no choice but the street. More than an idea of helplessness.
Every year thousands of young people are becoming homeless in our capital. Every day there is enough of them to fill a double decker bus. Every month enough to fill two tubes on your ride home. Young people just like your children, your neighbours or the person sitting next to you as you read this on your commute.
And yet nobody is talking about this.
There is a double decker buses worth of young people becoming homeless in London. Every. single. day. And nobody is talking about it.
领英推荐
Distractions abound. “There are limited budgets and so many other people to help”. Excuses abound. “Hidden homelessness is hidden and so we don’t have accurate statistics”. But seeing here is not believing. The data itself tells the story. Every year tens of thousands of young people find themselves homeless, unable to access support because it simply isn’t there at a scale that acknowledges the size of the issue. Some will be ending up sleeping on the streets or riding a bus all night. Many more will end up bouncing from blagged bed to sofa, wondering when the last favours will run out. But every single one of them has unlimited potential even if a lack of housing is doing its best to limit their opportunities.
Indeed, this is not a sad story. It is a true story and one that we can change. So from October 1st through to World Homeless Day on October 10th we will be taking a double decker campaign bus to Kings’ Cross and around London highlighting the issue and demanding investment.
The scale may be unseen but the solutions aren’t. Help us share the scale, support the solutions and together we can #StopTheBus
SME owners: accelerate business growth.
1 年Phil, thanks for sharing!
Director @ People Beyond Profit | Championing Diversity in Executive Search
2 年It's a powerful campaign Phil Kerry
CEO Urban Innovation Company, operator of Pulse Smart Hub | Facilitating smart cities through digital out of home advertising
2 年Great charity doing important work and the bus looks amazing!
Chief Executive at Youth Concern
2 年This is such a powerful campaign. Thank you for bringing it to a virtual audience