Shelter Campaigns for Government Accountability
In September, British homelessness charity Shelter – which has extensive experience in political lobbying – launched an out-of-home and online campaign calling for social solidarity and government intervention on housing, and encouraging donations. It mocks the tips proposed by politicians to ease financial stress – like reusing old teabags or cancelling Netflix subscriptions Such hacks threaten to overshadow or even trivialise systemic issues at hand, from housing to the energy crisis.
Posters were unveiled nationwide, including outside the ruling Conservative party’s conference in Birmingham. An accompanying microsite also encouraged people to contact their local MPs, providing a pro-forma email on ending homelessness resulting from the cost-of-living crisis. Additionally, Shelter delivered beer mats emblazoned with campaign artwork to pubs to prompt conversation, established an editorial partnership with youth-centric title Vice, and published posts on social networking site Reddit.