Graffiti tags typically scream, "I was here!" — a defiant mark on a wall. But a new campaign in London is flipping that message, using street art to declare, "I was here, and now I'm somewhere better."
St. Mungo’s, a charity that’s been helping London’s homeless for 55 years (let that satisfying number sink in), just launched "We Are Here." It’s an interactive mural campaign sharing the success stories of people who’ve navigated their way out of homelessness.
More Than Just a Name on a Wall
Artist Luke Embden, known for his bold, graffiti-style typography, created striking street art pieces in Bristol, London, and Reading. Each mural pops with St. Mungo’s signature black, white, and orange, featuring a name like “Lee was here” or “Tamika was here.”
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Start Your News DetoxThese aren't just random tags. They belong to real people who found hope thanks to St. Mungo's. And here's the clever bit: each mural sports a QR code. Scan it, and you don't just see a name; you hear their story.
Take Lee, for example. At 54, he'd spent years homeless across continents. His first night contemplating London's streets, a St. Mungo’s outreach worker found him. Lee described homelessness as "invisibility" – a feeling of just "floating around." Now, he teaches creative writing classes for the nonprofit.
Lee's mural is a vibrant explosion of his passions: musical notes, shamrocks, keys, and words like "creativity" and "see me" swirling around "Lee was here." That QR code leads to a three-minute audio clip where he explains how St. Mungo’s helped him secure universal credit, register with a doctor, and even open a bank account. He calls them the "building blocks" that let him start over. And if that's not enough, he's also writing a one-act play based on his experiences. Because apparently, that's where we are now.
Emma Haddad, St. Mungo’s chief executive, hopes the murals make people pause, look, and listen. It’s a powerful way to show that recovery, hope, and support aren't just buzzwords – they're tangible outcomes.
Last year alone, St. Mungo’s helped over 22,000 people in London. A staggering 77% of those they helped off the streets didn't return to rough sleeping after finding housing. That's not just a statistic; it's thousands of new chapters.
While the campaign currently features three stories, the team hopes it's just the beginning. In the world of street art, a tag marks a presence. St. Mungo’s murals, however, celebrate a future.
Lee himself hopes these murals will shift perspectives. He told The Guardian that while ending rough sleeping seems impossible, society should set such goals. Because, he believes, how we treat our most vulnerable reveals our true heart. And sometimes, a QR code on a wall can remind us of that.
