The Big Issue

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Big issue salesperson on Davygate in York
Big issue salesperson on Davygate in York

Founded by John Bird and Gordon Roddick in September 1991, The Big Issue produces an award winning entertainment and current affairs magazine, which is written by professional journalists and sold on the streets by homeless people. The Big Issue is one of the UK's leading social businesses, and exists to offer homeless people the opportunity to earn a legitimate income, thereby helping them to reintegrate into mainstream society.

To become a vendor you must be homeless or vulnerably housed. However The Big Issue recognise that for many people, being housed is only the first stage in getting off the streets, hence The Big Issue Foundation exists to support vendors in gaining control of their lives by tackling the various issues which lead to homelessness.

There are 5 regional editions of the magazine sold throughout the UK, and vendors buy The Big Issue for 70p[1] and sell it for £1.50. The magazine is also produced and sold in Australia, Republic of Ireland South Africa, Japan, Namibia and Kenya. All vendors receive training, sign a code of conduct[2] and can be identified by badges which include their photo and vendor number.

Contents

[edit] History

Inspired by Street News, a newspaper sold by homeless people in New York, The Big Issue was founded in 1991 by John Bird and Gordon Roddick as a response to the increasing numbers of homeless people in London.[3] The magazine was initially published monthly, but in June 1993 The Big Issue went weekly. The venture continued to expand with regional editions being established in Scotland [2], Wales [3], Northern England [4] and South West England [5]. These editions cover the whole of the UK and editions are also produced in five other countries.

In 1995 The Big Issue Foundation was founded to offer additional support and advice to vendors around issues such as housing, health, personal finance and addiction.

[edit] Ethos

The magazine is produced by The Big Issue Company Ltd. The company is a self-sustaining business which generates income through magazine sales and advertising revenues. Financially, The Big Issue is a not-for-profit organization, with all post-investment profits passed to The Big Issue Foundation. It is one of the best known social businesses in the world.

The Big Issue Foundation is the registered charity arm of the organisation. It aims to underpin the company's work by tackling the underlying causes of homelessness

[edit] Overseas projects

There are also six international Big Issue projects by the same name.

Some similar projects are also published in different cities around the world:

[edit] Criticisms

Some criticism has been directed towards The Big Issue. For example, apart from at the bigger centres, no services other than the selling of magazines to vendors is offered. Also, in some areas people (including the vendors themselves) feel that there are too many vendors, such as in the city of Oxford (although according to the manager of the Oxford branch, Oxford has 60-70 vendors which is about average for a city of that size). The people with the most need are not given priority when vending positions are allocated. Furthermore, vendors may still find it difficult to move on to other employment once they are off the streets. It has also been argued that The Big Issue's model has become outdated, as homeless people now tend to be younger and have fewer employment skills than the older people for whom The Big Issue was originally set up to help back into employment. A rising number of homeless people are now also involved in substance abuse and The Big Issue doesn't help to tackle this problem (The Big Issue's policy is that vendors can spend their money on whatever they choose, but vendors can't be under the influence of alcohol or drugs when selling The Big Issue[2]). As substance abuse may be the reason why the vendor is homeless in the first place, The Big Issue tackles a symptom of this rather than the cause itself.[4]


[edit] Response

Services: The Big Issue offers ongoing support to vendors through our network of outreach workers and via The Big Issue Foundation. Outreach staff spend the majority of their time on the streets building relationships with vendors, and are therefore on hand to offer tailored support, advice and referrals. The Big Issue does not duplicate existing services but instead sign-posts vendors to the organisation or agency best placed to address their needs.

Vendor numbers: The Big Issue works extremely closely with local authorities, town centre managers and the police to monitor vendor numbers in any given area, and to ensure that vendors play a positive role in their communities.

Pitch allocation: The Big Issue operates a strict pitch system. Vendors register for a pitch each week and pitches are allocated on a first come first served basis. Vendors are given the same level of support irrespective of the location of their pitch.

Successes: The causes of homelessness are varied and complex, therefore The Big Issue recognises that offering a vulnerable person the opportunity to earn a legitimate income is only the first step. The Big Issue Foundation exists to offer support in tackling the issues which contribute to homelessness, including substance abuse, mental health problems, debt etc. This process can be lengthy and difficult, hence The Big Issue allows people to continue selling the magazine for as long as is necessary. The Big Issue believes that any improvement in a person's circumstances, however small or gradual, should be considered a success.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ About the big Issue
  2. ^ a b "The Big Issue - Code of Conduct" [1]
  3. ^ The Big Issue - Introduction and History
  4. ^ "On the Streets", Oxford Forum, Issue 6 (Summer 2007)

[edit] External links