The Montreal Youth Refuge Shines Light on Invisible Homelessness

“Some young people have nowhere to go.” This powerful and compassionate message sits at the heart of the latest campaign from The Montreal Youth Refuge, an organisation that has been supporting young men aged 18 to 30 experiencing homelessness for more than 35 years.

Created and produced by Havas Creative Canada, the campaign sheds light on the profound distress faced by these young people who, often invisible to the public eye, no longer have a place where they feel safe, nor a space where they can rebuild their lives.

The videos, set to music by Louis-Jean Cormier, spokesperson for the Refuge and creator of the annual Show du Refuge, strike a delicate balance between the softness of the melody and the harsh reality lived by youth experiencing homelessness. The lyrics heard in the song say: "If it’s true we only get one life to live, then today mine feels impossibly hard to follow.”

“It’s a privilege to be able to rely on both his talent and commitment,” said Alex Béland, creative director at Havas. “The gentleness of his music contrasts powerfully with the silent violence that these young people endure.”

“Youth homelessness is a growing issue—and often, nothing allows us to recognise it at first glance,” added Kate Gaudreault, strategist at Havas. “To raise awareness, we need to restore a human face to this reality.”

The campaign was made possible thanks to the generous contribution of teams from Consulat, Jean-François Sauvé, Shed, Homy Studio, Spark Foundry, Union des artistes, and Louis-Jean Cormier.