With support from Spotify, Facebook and Sony Music, the national youth homelessness charity, Depaul UK is using the power of playlists to tell unheard stories of youth homelessness.
In a country where luxury flats stand empty, it is estimated that there are 80,000 homeless youths desperately living on the street. Yet, many people don't realize the extent of this street homelessness.
Partnering with Publicis London, Depaul UK aims to raise awareness of young people experiencing homelessness by using Spotify playlists to tell their stories.
'Playlists Against Homelessness' targets the 16-to-25 age group to reframe how they see homelessness and to break down stereotypes that often cause people to judge unfortunate individuals before knowing their full story.
The stories of five youths who have faced homelessness are told in a personal way through the titles of the songs in each person's Spotify playlist.
Fatos was one of the 80,000 young people homeless in the UK until she got the support she needed.
Her playlist reads: "Living in London/ Going to School/ Until/ All Goes Wrong/ Injustice/ Threats/ Back Home/ I Became/ Stranger In My Home Town/ Under Pressure/ Keep Asking Myself/ Should I Stay or Should I Go/ Looking For/ Asylum/ No Family/ No Friends/ Completely/ Alone/ Unable To/ Get a Job/ Go Back To School/ Find a Place To Be Safe/ Lost/ In This World/ Mad World/ The Truth Is/ You Never Know/ How or Why/ You'll Find/ Homeless/ Finally/ I Found Hope/ and/ Help!/ Now I Can Feel/ Human/ Again/ Hopefully/ My Friend/ I Will Be/ A Good Film Maker/ Someday."
The final "track" on the playlist, allows the listener to hear directly from the individual, giving unique insight into their untold story and the varied circumstances that can lead to someone not having a home.
Mike Thiedke, Depaul UK’s chief executive officer said: “Every experience of homelessness is unique, and the diversity of playlists demonstrates this. Through Spotify, we hope to break through the noise and reach listeners directly so that they can understand what people like ... Fatos have experienced.
“We’re very grateful for the support we have received from Spotify, Facebook, Tom Grennan and Sony. And our partner Publicis London’s creativity and enthusiasm have made this project a reality. Working with such exciting companies ensures we are able to amplify our voice and raise awareness of this important issue.”
Dave Monk, Publicis London executive creative director, said: ‘We’ve all been guilty of switching our noise-canceling mode ‘on’ when it comes to the issue of youth homelessness. What better way to get people to listen than by using the world’s greatest voices to help tell these unheard stories.”
