"They are fighting. Shedia's vendors never give up"

Shedia, Greece’s first street paper, launched two years ago in Athens. Today, the publication is still going strong, and supports around 160 vendors, 17 of whom are now in permanet housing. But one third of Greeks still live below the poverty line and the list of people looking to Shedia for help continues to grow. 

Editor Chris Alefantis speaks about the current situation in Greece, the vital work Shedia does and its incredible vendors.

Shedia came about from the desire to support those who had been most seriously affected by the economic and financial crisis. One could also say that Shedia is a result of the rage surrounding injustices which have happened to the vast majority of Greek workers and the middle class. We had to do something to help those affected. The same goes for the thousands of people across the country who have set up networks of solidarity and who are helping in every possible way. These are grass roots answers to a bigger problem.

If you look at the figures, it becomes clear that not much has changed over the past five years. The unemployment rate continues to be around about 26%, and the youth unemployment rate is 50%. People have been job seeking for years without success. We are especially concerned about those who are aged 45 and over. Their job prospects are particularly bad.

The queues outside soup kitchens are continuing to grow. Hundreds of thousands of people don't have health insurance anymore. How can we allow this to go on? The number of long-term unemployed people is so great, and that's dreadful. If you walk around Athens, you don't see many people smiling.

On the other hand, we support each other in everyday life. In an interview with us, the famous Greek author Vassilis Alexakis said, "We have no other option than to be optimistic." We should try that and continue to fight for a better future, both individually and collectively. This is also the stance taken in our street paper vendor meetings.

99% of our vendors are victims of the financial crisis. They had a job, a place to live, a family. They lost their jobs, then a few months later they lost their homes, and then they lost everything. Architects, former publishers, tradesmen or shop owners work at Shedia, as do people who have worked in unskilled labour. They were the first victims of the financial crisis. Their stories are those of completely normal people. On the one hand it's sad, and on the other their determination to get their old life back is impressive. They are fighting. Shedia's vendors never give up.

We also support our street paper vendors in their search for jobs and accommodation. Seventeen formerly homeless street paper vendors already have their own small flat paid for using the income that comes from selling street papers. We are delighted when it works. For us, this is a common victory. It's our readers who make this happen when they buy a street paper.

Our dream is that Shedia becomes superfluous, that all of our vendors find "regular" employment, through which they can earn their living. We also dream that we will reach the point where we will no longer need a street paper. We all look forward and work hard towards a better future. It's hard work, but we'll manage to do it. As Vassilis Alexakis says, "We have no other option than to be optimistic."

This post is based on an interview by Bastian Pütter originally published in German street paper Bodo. It was made available to INSP members in German and English via our News Service and has been republished widely across our network.

Home: real stories of homelessness from Edinburgh

By Zoe Greenfield

Home. What is home? How do you end up without one? And how do you get back ‘home’ after life on the streets?

Home takes a novel route to addressing these questions. An original, multimedia show created and performed by homeless and formerly homeless clients of Crisis, it is based on their own personal experiences. It explores the human stories behind the statistics using comedy, drama, video, song and even puppetry... and gives an honest and stark insight into life on the streets of Edinburgh. Though possibly little rough around the edges - perhaps down to opening night nerves - any unevenness is made up for in energy and insight.

“Fuck statistics, I’m a person. I’m real!” says Danny, whose quest for home and security we follow throughout the show. As the stage fills with characters for the opening scene, each entrance brings a new story of just how easy it is to become homeless. This isn’t just one story of homelessness, it’s about each individual and their personal journey - abusive relationships, military service and growing up in care.

The Three Wise Men

You may be wondering how puppets fit into all this. I know I was. Yet as the giant puppet heads (which took the team three months to make) appear from behind the backdrop curtain, I have to concede they're a great choice for the depiction of Maximus (a corporate giant awarded the contract for getting people back to work on ‘wageus minimus’) and Sanctions (the benefit god). Their effigies loom large over the stage, looking down disdainfully on all those below, including the audience.

The mighty and universally feared Sanctions imposes benefit cuts as a form of penance for sinning against society. But the audience is left wondering about the soul of the system rather than that of the so-called ‘scrounger’ in an emotive scene which sees a terminally ill cancer patient facing the rest of his life on £11 per week.

It is a show of contrasts, ranging from raucous ensemble number ‘The 3 Step Hoedown’, to the stargazing Three Wise Men, who enjoy an alfresco aperitif and put the world to rights. A calmness descends at the end of the first act when Kirsty Heggie takes the stage with her guitar for a stunning performance. Granted, at times there is a definite sense of winging it (I think the technical term is improvisation), but even then you get the feeling you’re listening in on a real conversation and wonder quite how far it might go.

"You lose your job, you hit the boozer. Not knowing yet you’re a fucking loser. Then she can't stand you anymore. Here's your bag and there's the door."

(Verse 2: The 3 Step Hoedown)

A confident and charismatic performance from MC Blair Christie ties the scenes together well and acts as a moral compass for the audience asking, 'have you thought about what you would do?'.

It takes guts to get up on stage. But to tackle some serious and deeply personal issues, challenge stereotypes AND add a touch of humour deserves some serious kudos. This show is personal. It’s full of passion.

As Danny walks the high wire in the closing scene, we're reminded that life is a balancing act between the pain of the past and hope for the future, all the while grappling with an unfair and sometimes cruel system. I am full of admiration for the cast.

Home is on tonight and tomorrow at Old St Paul's in Edinburgh. And Edinburgh's newest theatre group have aspirations to take their show to the Fringe and on tour. You should see it. You might just learn something.

Inspired by a beautiful voice @CrisisEdinburgh "These jeans have had holes since 1972" #home

— Rebecca Dickson (@BeccaGloria) April 30, 2015

Hilarity, anger, glorious song, pride, made to think. At 'Home' by @CrisisEdinburgh clients.Truly a show to see @STVEdinburgh @theskinnymag

— Helen Johnston (@_HelenJohnston) April 30, 2015

Street Sense presents Cinema from the Street

A series of powerful documentaries filmed by Street Sense vendors in Washington D.C. will get their first screening tonight.

The biweekly street paper is sold across the city by homeless and formerly vendors, many of whom also write for the publication. Recently, they were given an opportunity to express their creativity in a different medium - film.

As part of the Cinema From the Street co-op project, ran by professional filmmaker Bryan Bello and Street Sense's Media Centre, a group of eight vendors were taught basic filmmaking techniques to help them write, direct and shoot short documentaries exploring homelessness in the U.S. capital.


Cinema From the Street - Official Trailer from Bryan Bello on Vimeo.

Tonight's screening will include three films made by Street Sense Filmmakers’ Co-op members  Robert Warren, Reginald Black, Levester Green and Morgan Jones. Each will give a unique insight into the struggles faced by the homeless, such as finding employment, reconnecting with family and trying to survive on the streets during a harsh winter.

Street Sense runs regular workshops to help empower vendors by teaching them how to tell their stories in creative ways - through writing, theatre, illustration and film - and practical skills to aid them with job applications, fiance management and accessing housing and health care. You can find out more about Street Sense and Cinema from the Street here.

Cinema From the Street debuts April 29, 6.30 - 8.30 at E Street Cinema in downtown Washington D.C. The event includes a Q&A with the filmmakers and cinematographers.

The D.C. photo blog putting a face on homelessness

American street paper Street Sense recently reported on an engaging and empowering photo blog putting a name and face to the people experiencing homelessness in Washington D.C..

Street Sense vendor Robert.

"It saddens my heart too to see people passed by in the street. People won't even acknowledge a homeless individual or a homeless veteran - or even a veteran seeking assistance. Homeless people, and homeless veterans, are people too. They don't need a hand out, but a hand up."

Street Sense vendor and contributor Robert is now a recognisable face on the streets of Washington D.C. where he sells the street paper, but it wasn't always that way for the formerly homeless veteran.

He knows what it's like to be in need and to feel ignored and invisible, which is why he was happy to be featured on Person First Project, an engaging photo blog  that aims to break down barriers between people experiencing homelessness and those who pass by them every day.

Shiza Farid, Robyn Russell and Julie Schwartz created the Person First Project in December 2014 as a way of reminding people there is a person behind every unique experience of homelessness and poverty.

Chon: "If it weren’t for Street Sense, I'd probably be selling drugs."

The trio partnered up with the National Coalition for the Homeless to connect with people willing to share their own experiences of homelessness. The project highlights these stories via Facebook and Instagram, including a chat with Street Sense vendor Chon, who explains how selling a street paper is helping him build a better future.

"When you stop and talk to people who are experiencing homelessness, you hear that they're really just like everybody else. They are moms. They are dads. They are daughters. They are sons," said co-founder Robyn Russell. "If we could share this with other people, I think it could be really powerful because there are a lot of misconceptions around homelessness."

Russell says the positive comments left on each of their Facebook posts is testament to the power of storytelling as an advocacy tool, and that first-person stories can help change perceptions and open people eyes in a way that a fact sheet full of stats, facts and figures cannot.

Regarding the public who pass by people experiencing homelessness every day, she added: “It’s not that people don't care. I think they do care and I think they don't know what to do. That's how we felt.

"We hope our project can open their eyes and help them feel like maybe they can stop and talk to somebody."

This post is based on an article by Jennifer Ortiz originally published in Street Sense. It has been made available to other INSP members via our News Service here.

To be homeless in a country while war rages

Maryana Sokha explains the struggles Ukrainian street magazine Prosto Neba faces to support its homeless vendors in Lviv while war rages between pro-Russian rebels and the Ukraine government in the east. Based in Western Ukraine, Prosto Neba’s staff and vendors are far from the conflict but, as Maryana writes, “war...touches everybody here.”

“In Ukraine, the homeless have never been a priority. From the 90s until 2006, our state simply ignored them. There was no legislation, no social agencies to offer support and a prevailing, negative attitude inherited from the Soviet era - if you have no job, it means that you don't want to work, so you are not one of us.

During this time, only a few NGOs operated in Ukraine. The situation started to change after new legislation was introduced in 2006. At least one shelter was opened in every major city, but still, there were always too many problems to solve and a constant lack of finances.

In Lviv, a major city in Western Ukraine, our street magazine Prosto Neba was founded in 2008 with support from the NGO Emmaus - Oselya. We have a community house where 25 homeless people live and work together. We started a street paper to inform society about the problem of homelessness and persuade people to change their negative attitude towards homeless people. Our vendors have become our partners in fighting this injustice and quickly became the voice of our organization.

Today we have five vendors. They do not live in the community house but are involved in different projects like food distribution and charity events. They also receive different kinds of social services through our NGO.

Volodymyr Hilenko sells Prosto Neba in Lviv.

One of our "oldest" vendors Volodymyr Hilenko has sold the magazine for five years. He stays in the municipal night shelter and spends the day at his pitch in the city’s main square. People know him by his yellow jacket and constant good mood. For Volodymyr, it is extremely important to be on good terms with his customers and he is very proud of new friends he's made while selling Prosto Neba. He also acts as a guide for tourists, introducing them to the sites and history of Lviv. Above all else, he is now the one that homeless people approach to ask for help and advice.

But now we have a war in Ukraine. It's in another part of the country, but it touches everybody here. Young men are mobilized to go and defend the territory in Eastern Ukraine. During the last few months we have regular planes that bring dead bodies home from there, to be laid to rest at solemn funerals. If they come back alive, they are in the hospital. The whole local community is trying to support them. All the events in our city are charitable now - concerts, fashion shows, marathons, garage sales etc. to collect money for the army or for the treatment of soldiers.

Of course, in this situation we cannot try to put our homelessness issue somewhere high on the priority list. Once again we have more important problems to solve in our country. That would be the official answer on behalf of Ukraine, I guess. The position of our street magazine remains the same - we keep doing our work. Will it help our vendors to move on? I am not sure right now. At least it helps them to survive and stay safe.”

A longer version of this article is available for street paper editors to download and republish from INSP's News Service here.

Mobile showers offer dignity to San Francisco’s homeless

By Laura Smith 

In San Francisco, a local non-profit is restoring dignity to hundreds of homeless people, one hot shower at a time.

In a city where approximately 7000 people are homeless, there is just a handful of free washing facilities available to those living on the streets.

Lava Mae aims to change that by converting decommissioned city buses into mobile shower units, complete with hot running water and free shower, toilet and changing facilities. 

The project piloted its first bus on the streets of San Francisco in June 2014. It was soon providing between 300 and 500 showers a week to homeless people across the city.

Lava Mae's founder Doniece Sandoval said: "The first time people see the bus, they can't believe it contains showers and toilets. Their reaction is the most rewarding part of the project.

"It's been humbling to have someone thank you profusely for something so simple - something that the rest of us take for granted."

Here's what service user Bobby had to say after his first time on board the Lava Mae bus.



Doniece originally raised $75,000 to fund the first Lava Mae bus through crowdfunding site Indiegogo.

So far, the non-profit has sourced $110,000 through online crowdfunding and received a $100,000 grant from Google as a part of its Bay Area Impact Challenge program. This means they can now start work on creating a second unit.

Doniece aims to eventually have a fleet of four bright blue buses operating across San Francisco. "Once we have four buses on the road, we can offer 50,000 showers per year," she says.

But Lava Mae isn't just about providing hot showers for the homeless. It works on the idea that people experiencing homelessness can't access jobs or housing, or maintain health and well-being, if they can't get clean.

With hygiene comes dignity, and with dignity comes opportunity, says Doniece.

"It's been incredibly rewarding to hear stories of guests lining up job interviews, getting housing and generally improving their lives by being able to get clean on a regular basis.

"It's really amazing what a shower can do and the possibilities it can unlock."

Lava Mae is also starting to offer support and advice to hundreds of organisations that have already shown interest in replicating the project in their own communities, from cities in Santa Clara and Hawaii to Nigeria and South Korea.

For more information visit www.lavamae.org

Photos courtesy of Lava Mae/Sole Moller. This is a summary of an article by Laura Smith for INSP's News Service. You can read the original version here. Street paper editors can click here to view, download and republish the full article.

“Selling a street paper gave me back my dad”

Street papers aren't just a source of income for thousands of people across the world. They are also a lifeline. Sandra Corfitz from Denmark explains how Danish street paper Hus Forbi reunited her with her estranged father.

After Sandra’s father Leif abandoned her for a life of addiction and homelessness when she was a child, she never expected to see him again.

Leif Milatz with his grandson on his birthday last year. Photo: Lars Ertner

But then Leif began working with Hus Forbi. When he was interviewed for an article in 2008, Leif said of his then 19-year-old daughter, "She grew up with my mother. When she was two years old, I took her home to my mother and asked her if she would take care of her while I scaled down my drug habit. I'm still working on that."

In the years he had no contact with Sandra, Leif lived on the streets and in shelters. Whenever he was thrown out of a place because of drug abuse, he would go back to living under the main railway station in Copenhagen.

When he started to get back on his feet, Leif asked a family friend finally to contact Sandra on his behalf. "My grandmother and I had almost given up," she recalls. "We were just waiting for the funeral."

"But then he began to sell Hus Forbi. He came back to real life again instead of just sitting and melting in his abuse."

When Leif died in 2013 and Sandra wrote a moving thank you to the street paper through Facebook.

Sandra Corfitz with her son Kristian. Photo: Lars Ertner

"Thank you for the extra 10 years I got with my father," wrote the 25-year-old mother of two.

"Thank you for giving him the strength and the desire to try to be better. Until 2003, I feared losing him to his drug abuse. What changed that year was that he was a Hus Forbi vendor.

"He got a purpose in his life, a way to support himself, a desire to get up and get out. Finally, there was something who expected anything of him in terms of being sober and presentable.

"I had my father again, as I remember him from when I was little. You do a fantastic job and has meant a great deal for my father, my grandmother and me."

This is a summary of an article written by Hus Forbi's Poul Nielsen Struve for the INSP News Service. INSP members can view and download the article in full here. 

Meet the guys keeping Australia’s homeless in clean clothes

By Laura Smith

Sometimes the simplest idea can have the greatest impact.

After noticing a gap in the services offered to Brisbane's homeless, Lucas Patchett and Nicholas Marchesi kitted out a van with two washers and dryers to launch Orange Sky Laundry - Australia's first mobile laundry service for the homeless.

Orange Sky Laundry founders Lucas Patchett and Nicholas Marchesi.

But the 20-year-olds say they've done more than sort out homeless people's dirty laundry in the last four months. "This isn't just about washing clothes, it's a catalyst for conversation," says engineering student Lucas.

Being homeless often means having to neglect the simple things in life that others take for granted. On the streets, having clean clothes quickly goes from being the norm to a rare luxury.

"We saw all the great work that the food vans and other services have offered in Brisbane and Australia-wide, and just noticed that this hygiene aspect that has been overlooked quite a bit," said Lucas.

Launched in August 2014, Orange Sky Laundry now runs five days a week, Monday to Friday. It is funded purely by public donations and manned by a growing crew of young volunteers.

The free service usually pulls up near food vans, health vans and cook-outs so people can get their laundry done while they have their meal.

Using washers and dryers donated by electronics giant LG and powered by an on-board generator, the team can clean and dry around 20kg of clothing every hour, which covers around ten people.

But the non-profit does more than deal with people's dirty laundry. Lucas says the service helps make lasting and meaningful connections with homeless people.

"Once you take someone's clothes and put them in the washing machine, you've locked them in for 45 minutes,” he explains.

“They’re not going anywhere, so we can have a quality chat with them, build up relationships and figure out the best services to refer them to.

"Once we've established a rapport with our friends/clients, the service has been very well received. We've also seen some people transition off the streets, which is our ultimate goal."

Lucas and Nicholas will soon expand the service to Cairns, a city on the Queensland coast, after receiving a new van from the Jelley Family Foundation. They are also in talks to set up Orange Sky Laundry in Sydney, Perth and Melbourne.

"Homelessness is quite a big issue here," explained Lucas. "It's one of those issues that's kind of hidden in most major cities, so we're all about raising awareness. It's why we share stories on our Facebook page - it can happen to anyone."

To find out more or to donate to Orange Sky Laundry, visit their website or Facebook page.

This is a summary of an article originally published on INSP's News Service. You can read the full article here. The article is also available for street paper editors to download and republish.

Philadelphia pizzeria feeds homeless one slice at a time

By Laura Smith

A dollar-a-slice pizza shop in Philadelphia has encouraged its customers to give over 9,000 free slices of pizza to the homeless.

Rosa’s Fresh Pizza owner, Mason Wartman, started up a Pay It Forward scheme in March 2013 after a customer asked if they could buy an extra slice for someone in need. 

Since then, Rosa's has let customers pre-pay for a slice of pizza, which a homeless person can then order to take away or eat in store.

Mason says Rosa's now serves around 40 homeless people every day, and that his customers have generously bought close to 9,500 pizza slices in the past 10 months.

"My customers love the opportunity to help out," the 27-year-old told INSP. 

"The homeless people really use the program as a flexible way to get access to food. One Monday, a homeless customer said that because we were closed on a Sunday, they hadn’t ate anything since Saturday. That blew my mind."

After his first customer asked to have an extra slice of pizza given to the hungry, Mason says he wrote a smiley face on a Post-It note and stuck it up on one of the walls of his shop.

Today, a sea of neon Post-Its bearing messages from people who have done the same are plastered all over Rosa's.

Among them are heartfelt messages from those who have come in for a free slice of pizza.

A message written on a paper plate by Rob H, a homeless veteran who often visits Rosa's, reads: "God bless you, because of you I ate off this plate. It's the only thing I ate all day. I am a homeless veteran and get treated rudely when I ask for help. Rosa's treats me with respect."

Another homeless customer writes: "I've been homeless in Philly for six years and I'm so happy to see people coming together and really making a difference in the community. Rosa's is a great start to changing the way homeless people are treated. God bless you all."

While Mason didn't necessarily set out to feed roughly 1% of Philadelphia's homeless every day, the business owner is thrilled at what Rosa's Pay It Forward pizza scheme has achieved.

Glen models his new Rosa's sweatshirt.

"Homelessness is a visible pervasive problem in Philadelphia," adds Mason. "It’s important for Rosa’s to be extremely good at something and use this to improve the community. Feeding the homeless like we do is the best way we can use our talents as a company."

As well as providing homeless people with some comfort food, Rosa's is now clothing them too and pointing them in the direction of homeless services.

Mason has started selling t-shirts with the help of clothing company, Rush Order Tees, and donates 50% - the equivalent of seven slices of pizza - for every sale.

Also on offer are sweatshirts. For every one purchased, another sweatshirt is donated to the homeless and has a large tag sewn on the inside that details homeless resources in the city.

Mason explains: "On the inside of the sweatshirt there is a tag of information the homeless person can use: phone numbers and locations for shelters, meals and computer classes. Hopefully this will encourage the homeless person to structure their day productively, acquire durable skills and improve their lives.

"It’s one of the most exciting things I’ve worked on."


You can find out more by visiting the Rosa's Fresh Pizza Facebook page. 

Our vendors: Bertl Weißengruber - Kupfermuckn, Linz, Austria

Bertl, 63, is one of the original vendors of Austrian street paper Kupfermuckn. He started selling the street paper in Linz right after it was founded in 1996.

Born in Vienna, Bertl grew up living in a shanty town, like so many other bombed out families after the war, and went on to move around Austria as a vagabond.

“Vagrancy was still illegal in Austria until 1972 so I was sent to prison a few times,” he says.

“Finally I went to Hamburg and became a sailor for five years. I was in Leningrad, at the North Cape in Norway, in Shanghai and then in Caribbean until the shipping company went bust and I ended up in Linz, where I started a family.

"I have four children with my former wife, with all of whom I am still in good contact.”

Then one day he collapsed with a stroke. It was downhill from that moment on. His wife finally threw Bertl out and he was back living on the streets.

“I went to Arge, a non-profit association for the homeless. There I could move into a halfway house,” Bertl recalls.

“At the same time the street paper Kupfermuckn was founded, and because I only had a small limited income delivering a daily paper, so I started selling Kupfermuckn as well.

“It was tough at the beginning and the first day I only sold one copy. Slowly but surely, though, more people got to know me and since then it got better and better."

Eventually, Bertl found a regular spot in Ottensheim at a local farmers' market.

“I am even friends with many stall owners and customers, often exchanging the paper for food, but I also receive invitations to eat as well,” he says.

“The Ottensheim actor Ferry Öllinger already knows me as well. He stars in the TV Show 'Soko Kitzbühel'".

Now, Bertl is working hard to get his life back on track. He lives in a flat share for homeless people and is taking part in all events organised by the street paper. He is acting in a drama group and is a DJ at Radio Kupfermuckn.

Did you know INSP works with over 114 street papers around the world? You can help celebrate thousands of vendors, like Bertl, by joining our Thunderclap social media campaign during #VendorWeek 2015. Sign up here.