About Invisible People

There is a direct correlation between what the general public perceives about homelessness and how it affects policy change. Most people blame homelessness on the person experiencing it instead of the increasing shortage of affordable housing, lack of employment, a living wage or the countless reasons that put a person at risk.  This lack of understanding creates a dangerous cycle of misperception that leads to the inability to effectively address the root causes of homelessness.

We imagine a world where everyone has a place to call home. Each day, we work to fight homelessness by giving it a face while educating individuals about the systemic issues that contribute to its existence. Through storytelling, education, news, and activism, we are changing the narrative on homelessness.

This isn’t just talk. Each year, our groundbreaking educational content reaches more than a billion people across the globe. Our real and unfiltered stories of homelessness shatter stereotypes, demand attention and deliver a call-to-action that is being answered by governments, major brands, nonprofit organizations, and everyday citizens just like you.

However, there is more work to be done on the road ahead. Homelessness is undoubtedly one of our biggest societal issues today and will only continue to grow if we don’t take action now.

We need action now. Please watch our stories. Share them. Educate yourself on homelessness. Catch up on the latest homelessness news. Then take action to help your community. Just one person can achieve a lot.

Invisible People is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to educating the public about homelessness through innovative storytelling, news, and advocacy. Since our launch in 2008, Invisible People has become a pioneer and trusted resource for inspiring action and raising awareness in support of advocacy, policy change and thoughtful dialogue around poverty in North America and the United Kingdom.

 



Terry reunited with family.

At a homeless sheter, Terry was 58 years-old and was dying of stage 4 cancer. He had been homeless for 50 years. The local newspaper featured Terry’s video on their homepage. Terry’s brother saw the video. The two had lost contact with each other for 33 years and they reunited.

This is a note from their family.

Cotton supported by her community.

Cotton lived in a tent in Greensboro, NC for 16 years. After this video was posted the community went and housed her.

Donny found housing.

Donny was homeless for 21 years. After his Invisible People video, the community targeted him and got him into housing.

His story was documented at the CBC.

Housing Los Angeles.

The City of Los Angeles brought Invisible People in to help with Prop HHH. Seven of the top ten most popular posts shared came from Invisible People, far above media brands like LA Times with much larger networks.

The County of Los Angeles brought Invisible People in to help pass Measure H. 45,000 homeless people will be helped over the next ten years.

A lasting partnership with Hanes.

Invisible People has partnered with Hanes for ten years. In that time we have distributed over 3 million pairs of socks to homeless people. In 2013, our campaign reached 132.5 million people in 30 days educating them about homelessness. In 2017, we shipped three smartphones to three homeless people for them to record a day in their life on Instagram. The campaign reached over 10 million young adults.

YouTube donates their homepage.

On August 22, 2010, YouTube allowed Invisible People to curate their homepage for a day.

1.6 million people in 24 hours who would have never rolled down their window at an exit ramp to ask a homeless person their story had a positive interaction with homeless people.

Here is the official YT blog post.

Dateline NBC features Invisible People.

On September 13th 2018, NBC News featured Invisible People on their City of Angels series for Dateline, sharing our important work with their nation-wide audience. Click here to watch.



Our Founder

Mark Horvath has broken the mold. He’s not doing what makes sense. He is living out his passion and doing what burns deep inside of him. Mark has developed Invisible People to give a face and voice to homelessness, something he knows all too well since he once lived among them. His work is extremely innovative and his ingenious use of social media for storytelling is a model for both the corporate and not-for-profit worlds.

After an extended period of unemployment due to the 2008 crash and losing everything facing homelessness a second time, Mark grabbed his camera and started to use social media to help tell the stories of people experiencing homelessness. With only a $45 start-up budget and lots of tenacity, Mark has used social media to reach the general public and change how people perceive a very serious social crisis that’s mostly ignored.

Mark regularly works on cause campaigns with major brands like Hanes, Ford, Pepsi, General Motors, and Ritz Crackers and has consulted for the City of Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, Utah, the City of San Francisco, USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism, and more. In addition, Mark has served as a guest lecturer at educational institutions across the globe, including Geneva Forum on Social Change, UCLA, USC, NYU, and Syracuse University. In 2018, The Nonprofit Times included Mark in their 2018 Power & Influence Top 50 nonprofit executives.