We wanted to create awareness for the good that First United does in the homeless community. Our target was rather broad – adults, male and female, aged 20 to seniors. First United gives a lot more than food and shelter. They provide a sense of community for those living on the fringes of society. They offer counselling for people with mental and health issues. They provide a way for street people to connect with family, the government and financial institutions. They help people get into assisted housing and education programs as well as find work opportunities. First United catches the people who fall through the cracks of society.

So far, PR for the campaign has generated unpaid media reach of 9,742,266. This includes local and national newspaper coverage, and their online counterparts, local television coverage, trade magazine coverage and numerous blogs. Although the main focus of the campaign was awareness, several people were moved to donate sizeable amounts to First United.

We wanted to highlight First United’s efforts to help people get off the streets. We placed life-size statues of homeless people on streets in the downtown core. Upon closer inspection it became clear that there were no people inside the soiled clothes. (These sculptures were based on the artwork of artist Mark Jenkins, who endorsed the project).

A cardboard sign reading, ‘Help get someone off the street,’ accompanied each sculpture. A cup sitting in front of each ‘homeless person’ contained slips of paper with directions to Facebook profiles for people who’d actually been helped off the street by First United. These formerly homeless people talked on their FB walls about their life on the streets and how First United helped them. (Based on true stories.) The profiles linked back to First United’s website. Videos documenting these stunts were also posted online.