Homelessness Awareness Campaign
Background
The Connection at St Martin-in-the-Fields is a leading homelessness charity based in Westminster, at the heart of London's rough sleeping crisis. Every day, they help people move away from homelessness and into safe, stable housing. But before that can happen, trust has to be rebuilt. For many people, the first step isn't finding a home. It's access to a shower, clean clothes, a hot meal or somewhere to charge a phone. These simple acts of dignity create the foundation for specialist support, including housing, healthcare, mental health and addiction services.
The Challenge
The Connection needed to raise awareness before it could raise more money. While thousands of people pass rough sleepers every day, few understand the charity's role in helping people leave the streets for good. The brief was to create a powerful awareness campaign that would increase recognition, change perceptions and drive meaningful engagement through website visits, newsletter sign-ups and future donations.
The Creative Strategy
We spent time with frontline staff at The Connection's centre near Trafalgar Square to understand the reality of homelessness beyond the statistics. Two insights shaped the campaign. The first was the shocking fact that the average age of death for someone sleeping rough is just 43. The second was that lasting change often begins with the smallest gestures. A shower. A meal. Clean clothes. A phone charger. These everyday services are often the first step towards rebuilding trust and ultimately rebuilding a life.
From these insights came Dying for Connection, a bold homelessness awareness campaign designed to stop people in their tracks. Every headline worked on two levels, highlighting the practical support The Connection provides while revealing the life-saving impact of services that many people would otherwise overlook. The campaign was delivered across outdoor, digital and social media, giving The Connection a distinctive voice that challenged perceptions and encouraged people to act.
Results
The campaign significantly increased awareness and engagement, helping introduce thousands of new people to The Connection's work.
1.29 million impressions
804,842 people reached
7,529 website clicks
2,380 new website visitors
0.58% click-through rate
1.6 average frequency
More importantly, the campaign helped more people understand the realities of homelessness, strengthened The Connection's profile and created a stronger platform for future fundraising.