Community Minute: Providing economic opportunities for people experiencing homelessness

Street Sense is a D.C.-based 16-page biweekly street newspaper that features news, editorials, poems and art about homelessness, poverty, and other social issues. Street Sense’s mission is to offer economic opportunities for people experiencing homelessness in our community through a newspaper that elevates voices and encourages debate on poverty and injustice. About half of the paper is written by homeless and formerly homeless individuals, and the other half by staff and volunteers including journalists, student interns, advocates, and a wide variety of other professionals. Street Sense vendors pay 35 cents for each paper to cover publishing costs and then distribute each paper for a suggested contribution of $1. Vendors make up to $45 a day and choose their own distribution locations, and can be found in downtown D.C., some suburbs on busy corners, and near Metro stations. Street Sense not only offers its vendors a newspaper to distribute, but also connects them to other service providers to meet their needs, including finding housing, accessing healthcare, or enrolling them in financial management or job training classes.

For more info, contact:
Street Sense
1317 G Street, NW
Washington, DC 20005
202-347-2006