Spare Change News

Spare Change News

The September 14, 2006 - September 27, 2006 front page
of Spare Change News
Type Biweekly newspaper
Format Tabloid
Owner Homeless Empowerment Project (HEP)
Editor Tom Benner (July 1, 2011- ) [1]
Founded May 8, 1992
Language English
Headquarters

1151 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138

 United States
Circulation 10,000 per issue
Official website www.sparechangenews.net

Spare Change News (SCN) is a street newspaper founded in 1992 and published in Cambridge, Massachusetts through the efforts of the Homeless Empowerment Project (HEP), a grassroots organization created to help end homelessness.

The newspaper offices are headquartered in the Old Cambridge Baptist Church.

Contents

Mission statements

The mission of Spare Change News is "to present, by our own example, that homeless and economically disadvantaged people, with the proper resources, empowerment, opportunity, and encouragement are capable of creating change for ourselves in society." [2]

The mission of the Homeless Empowerment Project (HEP) is "to empower the economically disadvantaged in Greater Boston through self-employment, skill development, and self-expression. To create forums, including those of independent media in order to reshape public perception of poverty and homelessness." [2]

Operation

Each vendor pays 25 cents for each copy of the paper, then sells it on the streets for US$1. As a result, the vendor makes a 75-cent profit for each newspaper sold.

There are approximately 100 active vendors in the greater Boston area at any one time.

The biweekly, 16-page paper contains a color front and back page, alternative news, arts features, interviews, fiction and poetry that are written by staff writers and journalists, as well as by people who are homeless or work with the homeless. A full page is devoted to listings of local centers for job/skills training, senior care, women's care, drug recovery programs and homeless shelters.

Circulation is roughly 10,000 per issue. HEP/SCN rely on grants and donations to publish the newspaper, but the organization works to increase its advertising revenue to become self-sufficient.

History

The paper was started in Boston in 1992 and was the brainchild of Tim Hobson, who enlisted the aid of twelve other homeless people [3][4] and one housed advocate, Timothy Harris, who was a member and Executive Director of Boston Jobs with Peace.[5] In 1994, Harris would go on to use the model of Spare Change News and the Homeless Empowerment Project to found Real Change, a street newspaper in Seattle.

The first issue was published on May 8, 1992.

The newspaper's first managing editor, Tim Hobson, said at its founding that it would be "heavy on politics as well as discussion of homeless empowerment". He also said an important goal was to "put a face on the homeless to show that we're human beings".[2][6][7]

In June 1993, one of the founders, James L. Shearer, appeared before the Boston City Council to accept a special commendation on behalf of Spare Change as the newspaper celebrated its one-year anniversary.[8]

In July 2002, Spare Change News and the Homeless Empowerment Project hosted the Seventh Annual Conference of the North American Street Newspaper Association.

In November 2007, Boston's South End street newspaper Whats Up Magazine disbanded and merged into Spare Change News under the umbrella of the Homeless Empowerment Project.[4] On February 28, 2008, Whats Up published their first 4-page insert inside Spare Change News.

In 2008, Spare Change News received a grant from The Harbus Foundation of Harvard University Business School, to use it "to support a long-term marketing strategy to increase the awareness of the organization amongst the general public and generate broader distribution and commensurate aid for its vendors."[9]

In October 2010, a Worcester, Massachusetts edition of Spare Change News was launched.[10] It is a collaboration of Spare Change News and the Worcester Homeless Action Committee.

Hub Resource Guide

In August, 2011, HEP/SCN launched the publication of The Hub Resource Guide, a pocket-sized handbook of resources and services in and around Boston. It is similar in concept to the The Rose City Resource published by Street Roots in Portland, Oregon.

Selected interviews and articles

Interviews

References

  1. ^ Murray, Megan, "Cambridge's Spare Change News gets new editor : Tom Benner", Cambridge Chronicle, Jun 30, 2011
  2. ^ a b c "Who We Are" - Spare Change News website
  3. ^ Zauzner, Julie M., "Making Change", The Harvard Crimson Thursday, February 03, 2011
  4. ^ a b Bayles, Cara, "Street Sheets: Whats Up Magazine finds a new home", Weekly Dig, Boston, February 27, 2008.
  5. ^ "Advocate Timothy Harris making a career of empowering the homeless", The Boston Globe, May 30, 1993.
  6. ^ Walker, Adrian, "Spare Change for sale Boston's homeless planning a new tabloid to push their message", The Boston Globe, April 6, 1992.
  7. ^ Spare Change News Media Kit
  8. ^ Power, Stephen, "Homeless newspaper finds its place in Hub", The Boston Globe, June 24, 1993.
  9. ^ Yip, Heidi, "Philanthropy In Our Hands: $60,000 Worth of Harbus Foundation Grants Awarded to NPOs", The Harbus, Harvard University Business School, April 28, 2008. (archived 2008)
  10. ^ Daly, Katie, "'Spare Change' coming to Worcester, Mass.", NECN TV Network, Aug 18, 2010
  11. ^ Olsen, Danielle, "Speaking Her Mind: Actress Sophia Bush Talks to SCN about Women’s Rights, the Environment, and Urban Outfitters", Spare Change News, Friday, April 4, 2011
  12. ^ a b Jefferson, David James, "Spare Change Honors the Legacy of Howard Zinn", Spare Change News. Wednesday, February 10, 2010
  13. ^ Sennott, Adam, "Exclusive Interview with New York Times Columnist Gail Collins", Spare Change News, Wednesday, March 23, 2011
  14. ^ Simpson, Michael; Mulkern, Noreen, "Former Presidential Candidate Michael Dukakis Spares Time For Spare Change", Spare Change News, Wednesday, August 18, 2010
  15. ^ Benner, Tom, "SCN Interview with Harvard Economist Edward Glaeser", Spare Change News, Friday, August 26, 2011
  16. ^ Sennott, Adam, "Making The Jump: Carl Lewis talks to SCN about life beyond nine Olympic gold medals and his role as an FAO Goodwill Ambassador", Spare Change News, Friday, December 24, 2010
  17. ^ Olsen, Danielle, "Exclusive interview with feminist writer Kate Millett", Spare Change News, Monday, March 7, 2011
  18. ^ Benner, Tom, "An exclusive interview with Lt. Gov. Tim Murray on the state's new Housing First policy", Spare Change News, Tuesday, August 16, 2011
  19. ^ Kohn, Zachary, "Patrick Speaks About Homelessness and Job Growth in the Commonwealth", Spare Change News, Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Further reading

External links

Street newspapers by continent