The Home Depot Canada Foundation is bringing awareness to youth homelessness and doing further education about the work the retailer’s charitable arm does.

In the latest campaign, an animated spot, a youth “leaves a roof for the rain,” exiting an abusive home life. As he leaves, he imagines a different path that could be before him, helped by the kind of opportunities the Home Depot Canada Foundation provides.

Amy Bilodeau, the foundation’s senior manager of community investment, tells strategy the campaign is a fresh approach to shift the narrative from cause to impact.

In prior work, campaigns centred on compelling stakeholders and store associates to draw attention to youth homelessness, as well as promoting its bi-annual Orange Door Project customer fundraising campaign (the most recent edition wrapped in December, generating $1.3 million in grants for youth-serving charities). But recently, marketing has layered in education about what Foundation dollars actually do, and what its interventions really accomplish.

The Foundation first played with using animation last year, and what the organization likes about is that it’s versatile for storytelling, and protects the anonymity of youth.

For especially at risk youth, Bilodeau explains, the Foundation doesn’t want to typecast or stereotype them and is able to tell stories more ambiguously through animation.

The pandemic has completely reframed how the Foundation does its work, and Bilodeau says that homelessness is at the forefront right now, especially during a harsh winter.

When it comes to timing, Bilodeau says it is celebrating its 15th anniversary this February, but also that with many charitable organizations activating around the holiday season, doing so now is a way to stand out.

Through community partnerships, The Home Depot Canada Foundation’s mandate is to remove systemic barriers youth face to foster healthy pathways for change. Home Depot Canada is investing $125 million by 2030 to create new paths for youth experiencing homelessness, the concept of a “path” one that’s also emphasized in the messaging.

“We want to mobilize and gain some momentum around this exact commitment,” Bilodeau says.

Agencies involved include FCB for the marketing, Home Depot’s longtime partner, and IAmStatic for animation. Campaign media exposure includes social media, television, online and earned media. Media Profile did the media plan.

“We’re definitely leveraging social in a bigger way,” Bilodeau says. New work will showcase different paths, and how mentoring, housing, and work skills are key to the issue, as the organization looks at engage with younger millennials and Gen Z.

Youth make up approximately 20% of the homeless population in Canada, meaning each year at least 35,000 – 40,000 young Canadians have no place to call home.