Everyone can become homeless

Nochlezhka and Stereotactic have released a radical video manifesto for the Homeless Person's Day.

The world is an ocean of opportunities…
So dive into it headfirst.
Create.
Make up your own story.
Get out of your comfort zone.

With such words, familiar from the advertising of business and financial services, Stereotactic's new video begins. However, what we see on the screen is something different: abandoned buildings, railway embankments, a fire in the forest, a public toilet, free soup by the road, hard physical labor. Taking risks, making mistakes, believing in yourself, becoming your best self — these are the ideas that sell well in the world of high-quality selfies and neat CVs.

However, how will they work for someone who has lost their job and documentation in a foreign city where no one cares about them? For an elderly man who was cheated out of his home? A former convict who finds acceptance only in a work house? One of the main messages Nochlezhka conveys through its work is that no one is immune to homelessness. Along with the Stereotactic team, we present this idea as a parody of success manifestos. Perhaps the most common stereotype is that homeless people do not try hard enough, do not want to get off the streets on their own, and do not make any efforts. We demonstrate the absurdity of these assumptions by comparing them to similar illusory attitudes found in popular psychology. We timed the release of our video to coincide with the Homeless Person's Day, which takes place on March 30th.

Alexey Krupnik, the director of Stereotactic, said, ‘I’ve been volunteering for several years at Nochlezhka on the Night Bus. I tried to recreate on the screen what I saw and heard. Together with my co-author Misha Khan, we were looking for an unusual approach to a social video. It was the most challenging part, because these videos usually try to evoke sympathy and bring tears to people. As for us, we wanted to discuss the issue in such a way that, after watching, the viewer could decide for themselves how to deal with it.’

Screenwriter Misha Khan said, ‘I believe that institutional charity and the development of horizontal connections are essential. In this regard, it is crucial to help everyone, including homeless people. Sympathy, which is the primary motivator for help, serves here as an obstacle. It causes us to give a coin to an old lady or contribute a thousand dollars for treatment of some cancer with an evil-sounding name. But we don’t subscribe to regular donations. And homeless people are an ideal example of this problem, because it is commonly believed that they are to blame. Not only does anyone sympathize them — no one notices them. Through the video, we wanted to remind people of the problem and of Nochlezhka, which addresses it at an institutionally. Also, to encourage people to donate money not out of some instant pity, but out of a general desire to make the world a better place.’

Ksenia Solodova, the coordinator of Nochlezhka's special projects, said, ‘Homelessness is a complicated and sensitive issue that requires bold and attention-grabbing strategies. We found an effective approach with the Stereotactic team: we simultaneously challenge the common belief that homelessness will never affect you personally, while also emphasizing the instability of individual attitudes toward self-improvement, as if everything in life depends on our choices and perspectives.’

The video was created with the support of the Vladimir Potanin Foundation, Vtoroe Dykhanie Foundation and Atelier de Ratones.