Address Point: An Post gave people experiencing homelessness a postal address

In April 2019, Ireland’s national postal service introduced a free address and mail collection service for people experiencing homelessness or living in temporary accommodation.

The service was called Address Point. It responded to a problem hidden inside many essential systems. People often need a reliable postal address when applying for work, arranging medical appointments, communicating with schools or seeking housing support.

However, the people who needed those services most could struggle to receive the letters connected with them.

An Post and JWT Folk developed a way to use Ireland’s existing post office network as a nationwide collection system. Instead of creating an awareness campaign around homelessness, they created a working postal service.

A Missing Address Created Another Barrier

Ireland’s homeless population had passed 10,000 when Address Point launched. Alongside the loss of a stable home, people faced another practical difficulty. They had nowhere reliable and private to receive correspondence.

A medical appointment could arrive by letter. An employer might need an address during an application. Schools, housing organisations and public services also relied on written communication.

Therefore, losing an address could make an already difficult situation harder to leave.

JWT Folk worked with An Post, homelessness charities, service providers, local authorities, postmasters and people who would use the service. Together, they designed a system around the postal infrastructure already available across Ireland.

This gave An Post a direct role in the issue. The organisation could provide something that other participants could not offer at the same scale, which was a trusted collection point in communities across the country.

A Local Post Office Became the Collection Point

Address Point lets a person create a postal address online using a mobile phone or computer. They enter their name, select their county and choose a participating post office.

The tool then generates a personal Address Point linked to that location. Letters sent to the address can be collected from the selected post office after the recipient presents photo identification.

At launch, people could choose from almost 200 post offices across every county in Ireland. If they moved to another area, they could generate a new Address Point connected to a more convenient branch.

The system was designed with privacy in mind. An Post states that personal information entered into the Address Point tool is not retained on the webpage.

The address works as a Poste Restante mail collection service. Therefore, it provides a reliable place for receiving letters, although An Post explains that it does not qualify as proof of address when a service specifically requires that document.

That limitation keeps the campaign’s claim precise. Address Point did not solve every administrative problem connected with homelessness. It restored access to regular correspondence, which could support the next step towards employment, healthcare, education or housing.

Charities Helped Bring the Service to People

A useful service still needed to reach the people it was designed for.

An Post distributed information through homelessness charities, local councils and service providers. These partners included Dublin Simon Community, Focus Ireland, Peter McVerry Trust, Merchant’s Quay Ireland, St Vincent de Paul, Crosscare and the Capuchin Day Centre.

The launch also used testimony from service users to explain why a postal address mattered. National and regional media introduced Address Point to the wider public, while direct communication helped frontline organisations guide people through the registration process.

According to An Post’s launch information, the system was developed with input from service users, charities, An Post staff and postmasters. Consequently, the final service was connected to the organisations that people already approached for support.

Adoption Grew After the Launch

Within its first ten weeks, more than 1,000 people had used Address Point. That represented around 10% of Ireland’s homeless population at the time.

Within six months, the figure had reached one-third of people experiencing homelessness in the Republic of Ireland. The communications campaign also reached a reported audience of more than 34 million, while recorded media sentiment was 99% positive, according to The Reputations Agency’s case study.

The D&AD archive later reported that more than half of Ireland’s adult homeless population had adopted the service.

Address Point also continued beyond its campaign period. The online tool remains available through An Post, which means the idea became part of the organisation’s public service rather than ending with the launch film.

An Existing Network Found a New Purpose

Address Point received a Bronze Lion in the Sustainable Development Goals category at Cannes Lions in 2019. It also won the 2019 European Excellence Award for Corporate Social Responsibility and received a Creative Effectiveness Merit at The One Show in 2020. D&AD included the work in its 2020 Direct archive.

The recognition followed a clear connection between the problem and the organisation responding to it.

An Post already had local branches, postal expertise and community relationships. Address Point reorganised those assets around a group excluded from the standard system.

The result was an address that did not represent a home. Yet it provided a stable point of contact, allowing important letters to reach the person named on the envelope.

Credits

Client: An Post
Campaign: Address Point, Pointing a Way Back Home
Agency: JWT Folk Dublin
Creative Partner: Karl Waters
Creative Director: Keith Lawler
Creative Technologist: Ed Leamy
Senior Creative: Donal O’Higgins
Producer: Eric Brindley
Production Company: Bold Puppy Productions
Agency CEO: Abi Moran
Managing Director: Enda Kelly
Senior Strategic Planner: Eimear Fitzmaurice
Senior Account Manager: Simon Killeen
Communications Partner: The Reputations Agency
An Post Retail Managing Director: Debbie Byrne
Market: Ireland
Launch: April 2019