Street newspaper gives new life,
hope to homeless
May 3rd, 2010 @ 6:07pm
By John Hollenhorst
SALT LAKE CITY -- A brand-new
newspaper hit the streets Monday, and it really is the "street
edition." It's called "Salt Lake Street News" and it's being
sold by people who have lived on the streets.
In an era of dying newspapers, this
one is designed to give a new life to the people selling it: the homeless, and
people who know what the homeless life is all about.
John Wilkes was homeless for several
years. Lately he's getting back on his feet, living in government-subsidized
housing.
"I don't want anyone to feel
sorry for me," Wilkes said. "I've worked pretty hard the last year
and things have gotten a lot better."
When the new newspaper hit the
street, Wilkes was first in line to buy copies and start selling.
The "Salt Lake Street
News" will be published monthly by a Christian agency called the
Salt Lake City Mission.
"The homeless are used to
actually sell the paper and generate an income for them and also to help
curtail panhandling," said Brad Jaques with the Mission.
"To me it's not making a big
difference, because I do have another income, but it's a cause I believe
in," Wilkes said.
The idea of a street newspaper
emphasizing poverty issues has been around for generations and has taken off in
the last 20 years. Street papers exist now in 200 cities worldwide. The street
vendors buy the paper for 50 cents and sell it for a dollar.
"Also it's to help educate the
public about the plight of the homeless," Jaques said.
"The Street News" features
stories about the homeless, poverty issues and agencies that help. Wilkes hopes
readers will try to put themselves in his shoes.
"Well I don't think they can,
but yeah, I definitely think they should because there's a lot of misconception
about the majority of homeless people doing nothing to help themselves,"
Wilkes said. "This is proof that just isn't so."
Wilkes ran into a hassle selling the paper late Monday
afternoon outside the city library. He told KSL a security guard confronted him
and called police, but they left without making an issue out of it.
The Mission says city attorneys OK'd the sales as long as it's on a public sidewalk.