Following Big Brother’s return to our screens on ITVX, homelessness charity Depaul UK is launching a unique televised campaign titled ‘House Auditions’, to drive awareness of its vital emergency accommodation service, called Nightstop.
You can view the films here:
Launching today (Monday 6 November) for one week, the advertising campaign will run across ITVX to coincide with the programming of Big Brother and aims to personify homelessness through emotive portrayals of the realities for many young people at risk of homelessness across the UK.
This winter, the charity has warned of extraordinary risks to young people facing homelessness, as it revealed that in the first six months of this year, there was a 30% increase in referrals to Nightstop.
It’s a unique service for young people at risk of homelessness and is entirely dependent on volunteers, who open their homes for the night while Depaul UK staff quickly work to find them settled and long-term accommodation.
The charity said that the combined impact of increased debt, spiralling bills, and low incomes could lead to conflict in households, which exacerbates family and relationship breakdowns, one of the key causes behind the increase.
It’s estimated that around 129,000 16–25-year-olds are homeless* or at risk of
homelessness but Depaul UK warn that the figures could be significantly higher as homelessness is often hidden.
The campaign, called ‘House Auditions’ shows a face of homelessness that an audience can truly connect with. Each of the films begin in a similar vein to the Big Brother audition tapes as young people explain why they would make a good housemate.
As the films progress, we see more of the background and environments; a run-down house or tent, carving out these young people’s personal situations. Instantly recognisable, these ‘tapes’ tap into the pop culture minds of a generation, juxtaposing the happy, jovial people asking to be accepted into the Big Brother house with the thousands of young people at risk of homelessness, and who need a safe place to stay.
These tapes signpost viewers to Nightstop, Depaul UK’s flagship mission that asks volunteers to open their homes to young people who need a safe place to stay for the night.
Nightstop currently operates through different communities and charities in more than 23 locations across the UK. In 2022, 621 young people were provided with safe accommodation across the network, with 7,522 safe nights provided for young people.
Kristina Hedderly-Perez, Executive Director of Fundraising & Communications at Depaul UK, said:
“Winter is a key time for tackling homelessness, and we are currently seeing huge numbers of young people who don’t have access to a safe place to sleep for the night. We want to raise awareness of this and encourage those who can open their hearts and their homes through our Nightstop programme – helping to provide safe accommodation for those most vulnerable at this time of year. Publicis•Poke have used their creative compassion to generate a campaign that we are sure will drive awareness of this very important cause”.
Rhys Hughes and Barret Helander, Senior Creatives at Publicis•Poke, said:
“We wanted to drive awareness of the scale of youth homelessness whilst showcasing the amazing work Nightstop continues to do around the UK. It has been a privilege to work with such talented people, and in partnership with such an iconic show, to help bring such an important issue and service to light”.
Depaul UK’s campaign is running at the same time as the charity’s winter appeal featuring Nightstop. To find out more please visit Depaul.org.uk/appeal