Düsseldorf’s Homeless Community Star as Models in This Powerful Campaign

Getty Images, a world leader in visual communications has joined forces with the Düsseldorf street magazine fifty-fifty and the creative agency Havas to launch a campaign which aims to change the way the homeless community is viewed and drive a narrative of possibility.

The ‘Repicturing Homeless’ campaign sees homeless individuals portraying people from different walks of life in a series of stock images which are available to license from today.

Members of Düsseldorf’s homeless community, all sellers of the fifty-fifty street magazine, have been hired to model in stock photo shoots for some of the most saleable themes on Getty Images – such as businessman, cook, shopkeeper and traveller. The stock images are now available for licensing on gettyimages.com and iStockphoto.com and will be promoted to Getty Images’ customer base. 100% of the royalties from images licensed go back to fifty-fifty to support the local homeless community. 

Paul Foster, Senior Director Creative Content at Getty Images, said: "At Getty Images we believe in the power of images to spur change, shift perceptions and evoke empathy, so we could not be prouder to be partnering with fifty-fifty and Havas on this project to re-picture the homeless community. We know the power images can have in making and breaking stereotypes and see this partnership as an opportunity to challenge perceptions around and help raise awareness of the homeless community.”

Darren Richardson, Chief Creative Officer Havas Düsseldorf, Executive Creative Director Digital Havas Europe, said: "Instead of showing stereotypical images of the desperation and poverty of the homeless, our campaign aims to surprise people and make them think. Our approach is not to leave anybody sad or guilty, but above all to encourage us all to critically question our often prejudiced ideas about our fellow human beings."

Hubert Ostendorf, Founder and CEO of fiftyfifty said: “The public attitude towards the homeless is marked by compassion but many citizens perceive the homeless as helpless and desperate. This photo project is about showing that which is rejected by society also has value."

Karl-Heinz Josef Hense, 56 years old, comes from Kaiserswerth Düsseldorf and has been homeless for 25 years. He is one of the fifty-fifty sellers who modelled in the stock images. “I feel like a new man. It was a real pleasure for me to participate. Really.”

The partners hope to expand the initiative over time to generate further awareness around the homeless community.