People experiencing social difficulties in Munich have been selling street paper BISS for 30 years. Tibor Adamec has been there since the start – and not only gains money, but also self-confidence.

“I’m not a beggar, I’m a trader”: 30 years of BISS

Thomson Reuters Foundation’s Trust conference provided a stark reminder of just how tough the world of journalism is right now. Mike Findlay-Agnew, Chief Executive of the International Network of Street Papers, provides some highlights. 

'Journalism is not a crime' - reflections on the Thomson Reuters Foundation's Trust conference

UK based charity, Arts & Homelessness International, has launched its first ever international awards. The Awards will recognise excellence in the sector of arts and homelessness, and celebrate projects and individuals from across the world.

New Arts and Homelessness International Awards launched

Scotland is a global leader in international social enterprise. Organisations like the International Network of Street Papers Homeless World Cup, and Social Enterprise World Forum demonstrate our success making worldwide impact from headquarters in Scotland.

New report: 'Scotland – A world leader in international social enterprise'

For his new film, Killers of the Flower Moon, director Martin Scorsese, and his cast and crew, worked with members of the Osage tribe – the Native American community at the centre of the true story he was dramatising – to ensure his sweeping epic of a film honestly depicted their experiences. In his latest column, INSP editor Tony Inglis explains how Scorsese’s approach of instigating a co-creational model, and platforming people with lived experience of the events of the story, is not unlike how street papers approach journalism.

INSP editor Tony Inglis: “Martin Scorsese’s new film shows co-creation alongside people with lived experience can change the narrative”

As a marginalised group, people experiencing homelessness are disproportionately susceptible to violence at the hands of right-wing groups with an intolerant ideology. But how we as a society relate to homeless communities also plays a role in this, says political scientist Martin Stammler. He spoke to Nuremburg street paper Strassenkreuzer about the subject, Social Darwinism and how it turns to hatred and violence.

"Our society determines whether neo-Nazis feel called to kill": How people experiencing homelessness become vulnerable to right wing violence

Nikki Smith, who moved to Washington DC earlier this year, is already making an impact with her art and advocacy. She moved from a tent to a shelter and has been working on her writing which is now being published in the local street paper Street Sense. And she’s working with an initiative to help women experiencing homelessness become involved in advocacy like her. 

Washington DC street paper vendor Nikki Smith on helping others — and herself

Megaphone’s new vendor mentorship program provides sales support and fosters confidence. Paul Grigaitis, who was a community newspaper reporter before finding himself struggling with addiction and his mental health, became a vendor at Megaphone only to feel that he didn’t have the confidence to go out and do it well. The magazine’s new program helped him get going.

Mentors help new vendors find the courage to succeed at Vancouver street paper Megaphone

Giorgio arrived in Italy from Ethiopia in 1997 in search of work. Life became increasingly hard after the 2008 financial crisis, and Giorgio became homeless in 2015. A few years later he started working as a Scarp de’ tenis vendor, which he continued to do until 2022. Then came the breakthrough: a permanent work contract, offered to Giorgio when he was 65.

Scarp de’ tenis vendor Giorgio: “The street paper helped me to believe in myself”

TJ Johnston, who works as an editor at San Francisco street paper Street Sheet, writes about his experience of being homeless and losing any discernible form of identification, making life even more difficult than it already is.

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