Utah
launches first newspaper focused on homeless
Street News » Salt Lake City joins other U.S. cities with
similar papers.
Updated: 05/03/2010 10:55:18 PM MDT
After 15 years living on and off the streets, Terrance LeCompte knows there's little dignity in a scrawled
entreaty on a cardboard sign.
"It's begging, basically," he said Monday, before
heading out with a stack of copies of the Salt Lake Street News . This was
the newspaper's inaugural edition, and a new chance
for LeCompte.
LeCompte stationed himself at the
corner of 400 West and South Temple just after 1 p.m. Two men walked by, their
ties fluttering in the wind. They politely declined to buy a paper. A few
students barely looked up.
Yes, he said, he knew there would be a lot of rejection at first.
But at least this was legal, he added.
LeCompte was among about a dozen
homeless men and women selling the paper across Salt Lake City on Monday.
Dozens of U.S. cities have their own version of the Street News , empowering
homeless people to work and keep a small profit.
In Salt Lake City, sellers will get to keep 50 cents for each $1
paper sold. Some, like LeCompte, 51, plan to write
articles for future editions.
For now, the monthly paper is a collection of articles about Utahns and homeless people across the country, including a
story about a Hurricane Katrina survivor who ended up on Salt Lake City's
streets. The paper, which has a small handful of ads, is currently being put
together by staff at the Salt Lake City Mission, which serves the homeless.
"This is a way for them to earn an honest
income and to help educate the public about the homeless, too,"
said Brad Jaques, assistant director of development.
The mission's goal is to have between 100 and 200 homeless people
selling the paper throughout the Salt Lake Valley, although initially it will
only be sold in Salt Lake City.
"This is giving them an opportunity where a lot of times
they've never had an opportunity," he said.
Street News is printed by MediaOne of
Utah, which is co-owned by The Salt Lake Tribune and The Deseret News .
When LeCompte arrived in Salt Lake City
in 2001, he noticed there were no bars on the windows. He figured the city was
a safe place and ended up staying.
But both his arms are severely damaged, making work difficult. He
mangled his right arm in a car accident years ago; he tore tendons in his left
arm while working on a landscaping job last year.
For homeless people like Bob Hamilton, a participant in the Salt
Lake City Mission's Bible study, the part-time job couldn't have arrived
at a better time. He has slept at the downtown homeless shelter, The Road Home,
for about three months, he said. The small income will help him buy food, gas
and pay for his car insurance.
"I think it's an answer to a prayer," he said.