Canadian Influencers Change Their Address to Help Homeless Young People

Dans la rue, in collaboration with LG2, has launched an influential initiative to help homeless youth this winter season. The new campaign called 'Change of Address' works with content creators Louis Blouin, Alex Beaulieu-Marchand, Emmanuelle-Salambo Deguara and Karel Cadoret, who have shared publicly that they have temporarily changed their mailing address so that excess free winter clothes they receive from brands are delivered to Dans la rue instead. Through this gesture, an appeal for donations is being made to other influencers and the general public. The Change of Address initiative is designed to raise awareness of Dans la rue's growing needs and of the state of youth homelessness.

“We are grateful to LG2 and the content creators for this innovative initiative in support of Dans la rue. It demonstrates once again the generosity and solidarity of the population towards young people living on the streets. Thanks to this collaboration, we will be able to provide young people with warm clothing, an essential need at this time of year, thus contributing to their well-being and dignity.” said Myrlande Myrand, assistant director, prevention, intervention and clinical programs, Dans la rue.

Recent data from Dans la rue highlights the urgency of the youth homelessness situation in Montreal. Over the past year, the organisation has seen a significant increase in the number of people using its services, with 18,200 visits to the Day Centre (an increase of 44%), 22,325 visits to the Van (an increase of 20%), 1,690 referrals for mental and physical health support (an increase of 62%), and 1,125 referrals for housing (an increase of 60%).

“We are proud to collaborate with Dans la rue on this initiative, which demonstrates the power of creativity and solidarity. By joining forces, we can bring tangible support to those who need it most in our community.” said Mireille Côté, partner and president - Quebec City, LG2.

Within 24 hours of launching, the original post on Dans la rue’s Instagram has garnered 114K organic views, over 2,500 likes and 670 shares. Twenty additional influencers have since volunteered to join the initiative.

If you'd like to join the Change of Address movement, you're invited to send your parcels to the Dans la rue Day Centre, Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the following address: 1664 Ontario Street East, Montreal, Quebec, H2L 1S7.