caredata CD Full Text - copyight NISW/Russell House Publications European Street Papers: Publications for Social Change Tessa Swithinbank Tessa Swithinbank is the International Editor of The Big Issue. Background to the international street paper movement "The spectre of homelessness is haunting Europe." A pertinent description by Brian Harvey of FEANTSA [1] of the devastating situation within the European Union where 1.1 million people are now homeless on any given night, up to 5 million are permanently homeless and 18 million Europeans live in conditions of 'housing stress'. There are thousands of projects throughout Europe providing essential services and support for homeless people, but a unique initiative which challenges traditional methods of tackling homelessness through the concept of self-help, has become a huge success. Street papers, sold on the streets by homeless and socially marginalised people in order to earn an income and as an alternative to begging, have harnessed self-help as a positive way of empowering the most marginalised in society. Inspired by New York's Street News, The Big Issue was launched in London as Europe's first street paper in September 1991. Europe's most innovative combination of social change and media, The Big Issue's success has led to the establishment of no less than 65 papers in the European Union, and papers in Russia, South Africa and Australia, with plans for launches in cities in Eastern Europe. The Big Issue The Big Issue magazine, launched with financial assistance from The Body Shop Foundation, operates as a business. Profits are mandated to The Big Issue Foundation, the charity arm which finances the support services. The magazine is weekly with combined sales of 300,000 from the London, Welsh, Northern and Scottish editions. The paper has distribution outlets in many cities and up to 3,500 vendors are selling throughout Great Britain at any one time. Vendors buy the paper for 35p and sell it to the public for 80p. The Big Issue gives homeless people a hand-up not a hand-out, empowering them through their own actions. "Our success is unfortunately built on the tragedy of homelessness. But we strive to be about hope and resolve and not about defeat and decay," says The Big Issue's founder, John Bird. "Self help allows people to make choices and develops their self esteem. Give homeless people a sense of their own power and they are on the road to reintegrating back into society. Keep them dependent and you will always leave them waiting for the next hand-out," he maintains. The Big Issue is not only a means of gaining an income. John Bird asserts: "Many homeless people, after years of deprivation and social exclusion, need more than just the chance to sell a paper." Through the social initiative, The Big Issue aims to provide a support system that best suits the need of each vendor and to create the opportunity for their re-integration into society. The support services provide a crucial pathway to integration. Housing and resettlement teams The Big Issue Housing Team has been in operation since January 1993. It was set up in response to the needs of homeless vendors who wanted housing advice and access to accommodation. It offers a full housing and resettlement package which progresses from emergency through to permanent accommodation and resettlement support. The Housing Team offers a daily drop-in. After an initial assessment, clients are referred to a range of housing options: hostels, bed-and- breakfasts, short-life and permanent accommodation. They also offer benefits advice and tenancy information, as well as having links with a variety of specialist agencies including legal, health and welfare advice. The resettlement package consists of three stages. Firstly, they look at what living independently entails, through budgeting, benefits, life skills and the responsibility of being a tenant. Secondly, there are practicalities: escorting clients to interviews and viewings, helping to access local resources, accessing furniture projects and helping with transferring claims. Thirdly, once in accommodation, there is concern to ensure they are settled and happy and to help with any difficulties they might be experiencing. Housing teams have been set up in many of the regional offices. Joint ventures with housing associations (e.g. The Nottinghill Housing Trust), and joint fund raising schemes to develop permanent access to accommodation have also been launched. Outreach teams Outreach teams offer direct practical and emotional support to homeless people both on the streets and at The Big Issue offices. One to one counselling is offered, together with group work. Practical advice includes welfare rights and health care services; a detoxification service using natural methods such as homeopathy and acupuncture; personal crisis management and referral to statutory agencies. A drug and alcohol worker offers counselling to vendors worried about their drug or alcohol use and provides a referral service to specialist agencies. Writing workshop A vendors' creative writing workshop was set up at the time of the paper's launch in 1991, and meets weekly. This has been a hugely successful creative outlet for homeless people writing about their experiences and developing their writing skills. Through this workshop, homeless people contribute to the 'Street Lights' section of The Big Issue, the only voice of the homeless in the media. Not only have the group produced their own poetry group, 'Kerbing Your Emotions', but also many have given public performances of their work. The Training and Publishing Unit The Training and Publishing Unit was established for homeless people who want to move from vending back into employment. The Unit offers training in various computer programmes, covers the use of office equipment, training in verbal and written communication and touch typing. The Unit also takes on commercial work from charities and other companies, designing leaflets, newsletters, posters, badges and logos. It offers a structured working environment where support and teamwork are encouraged. Trainees are given help to prepare professional CV's and assistance in finding employment, as well as access to training organisations in the community and adult education courses. Making It Making It is a micro-enterprise which aims to provide employment within a secure structure to enable ex-Big Issue vendors to realise their true potential through training, shared involvement and social stability. Making It produces a range of hand rolled, high quality organic beeswax candles, rolled by ex-vendors, and sold to shops such as The Body Shop, Oxfam and Shelter. The type of work, style of management and the social aspects of Making It are decided on by the team. Achievements are demonstrated through the many vendors who have moved into training, further education, accommodation and jobs through these different opportunities offered by the support services. Moving on It is, however, difficult to provide statistics on how many vendors in the past four and a half years have successfully moved on. Whilst we have statistics on the number of people housed, and those who have found jobs from the Publishing Unit, we realise that success is relative to each individual. One person's success is to decide to go for drug and alcohol counselling, another's is selling the paper on a regular basis, whilst a job obtained through the Publishing Unit is a further example. A survey was recently carried out by John Moores University in Liverpool to determine whether or not selling The Big Issue made a significant impact on the welfare, health (particularly mental health) and outlook of vendors. It was then compared with the findings from the same investigation with a number of homeless people in Liverpool who did not sell the magazine. "The survey showed that vendors were much more optimistic about their futures, especially the possibility of obtaining permanent accommodation, a decent job and a 'normal life', than the non- vendors. The overwhelming aura surrounding the outlook of the non- vendors was virtually total despair, hopelessness and fatalism whilst 60% stated that selling The Big Issue had generated in them a sense of optimism which replaced previous feelings of worthlessness. "80% of them had started to question, challenge and reject the image which had been imposed upon them by public attitudes and government policies - lazy drop-outs who made a living out of begging, drinking and drug abuse. "The health, particularly psychological, of The Big Issue vendors had improved significantly since they started selling the magazine as it gave them a sense of purpose and motivation, a little bit of self- respect, extra income and many felt that they were active in a campaign to raise public awareness about the life experiences, nature, causes and extent of homelessness in Britain." [2] This has been a vital aspect of The Big Issue, changing the relationship between the public and homeless people, challenging stereotypes and bringing the issue of homelessness into the national consciousness. As well as providing a voice for the homeless community within the pages of the magazine The Big Issue, like many other street papers, campaigns on issues that directly affect homeless people. The Big Issue is currently working with other organisations to oppose the Housing Bill in which the government plans to overturn the rights of homeless people enshrined in the 1977 Homeless Persons Act, with legislation that replaces homeless peoples' rights to permanent housing with temporary rights and removes local authorities' obligation to prioritise homeless families on housing waiting lists. Another street paper, Hinz & Kunzt, from Hamburg, recently waged a campaign in conjunction with other groups against the cuts in social security in Germany. European street papers The Big Issue's success has paved the way for the street paper movement in Europe which has mushroomed during the past three years.