Homeless charity warns public not to hand cash to homeless people in anti-begging campaign
Homeless charity The Connection at St. Martin-in-the-Fields has launched an anti-begging campaign to highlight how giving money to people on the street could actually be contributing to their deaths.
Created by direct marketing agency Soul, the campaign, which launches this month, uses a range of stark black and white images, including one of a body laid out in a morgue, and the strap line ‘Give him enough and you'll eventually get him off the streets’ to raise awareness that money handed out could be spent on drugs and alcohol.
Posters, beermats and leaflets will appear in pubs and shops throughout the Westminster area of London, supported by an app to be released at the end of the year that will allow people to donate directly to The Connection.
Beki Winters, head of outreach at The Connection, said: “It takes a lot for people to donate to charity, and what’s required is a campaign that stops people in their tracks, making them take notice. That’s exactly what Soul’s work achieves – it brings home the message that giving spare change to homeless people on the streets doesn’t help and can in fact lead to their deaths.”
The campaign has also been backed by The Safer WestEnd Partnership, an initiative set up to make central London a safer and more secure place to work and explore.