Raising the Roof: Coming Soon

This case study describes how the Canadian charity Raising The Roof created widespread awareness about homelessness with a fake homeless shelter designed to raise eyebrows.

Raising the Roof: Coming Soon

From apathy to empathy

Last winter, a 54-year-old man was found with no vital signs, wearing only a t-shirt and jeans, on the streets of Toronto. More alarming is the thousands of people that walked right past him, indifferent to his plight. He died later that night.

His death epitomized an ugly truth that social psychologists1 and charity researchers2 know too well: as long as people are not inconvenienced by homelessness, they will be indifferent towards it.

In an effort to raise awareness, the charity Raising-The-Roof put a fake homeless shelter...

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