Hard-hitting posters highlight how homeless people are treated as ‘invisible’

The isolation felt by homeless people is being highlighted by hard-hitting posters positioned in spots in a UK city where rough sleepers are likely to rest.

The posters bear slogans such as “if this were a homeless person, then most people wouldn’t even look down” and “a bad place for a poster, an even worse place for a bed”.

Set up by the Good Organisation in York, it is hoped they will flag the issue of homelessness, while also advertising the group’s projects to afflicted by it.

Kenny Lieske, one of the group’s directors, told the Standard: “It’s often easy to simply walk past homeless people without acknowledging their existence, and that denial is problematic because it leads to a sense of indifference or a feeling that the problem can simply be ignored.”

Mr Lieske added that although rough sleeping is one of the most visible issues of homelessness, there is are other circumstances he hopes the campaign will highlight.

“We hope that the posters will make people think about that, but rough sleeping is often just the tip of the iceberg," he said.

“Homelessness is a really complex issue and there are also those who live in precarious financial circumstances or are sofa-surfing with friends who are also invisible in many respects."

The posters have gained attention across the globe, with messages sent to the group from countries in mainland Europe, the USA and Australia.

"The comments have been overwhelmingly supportive while obviously contributing to a wider public debate on the issue", said Mr Lieske.

People have described the posters as "powerful" and "brilliant".

As well as promoting the general issue of people without housing, Good Organisation is also running a project called Invisible (York) it is promoting with the posters.

This is seeing five people affected by homelessness be trained to become tour guides, who will usher sightseers around the city from June.

With York being a major tourist spot, it is hoped they and other members of disadvantaged groups will be able to get involved in industries linked to this.

In future, the group plans to work with other organisations in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Manchester, with more posters set to be produced.