Nashville's Street Paper Thriving in Down Economy

by Steven Samra

categories: innovation, Street Papers

Published August 19, 2009 @ 07:06AM PT

Two years ago, a small group of local Nashville residents came together to discuss new ways they could help people experiencing homelessness. Something more meaningful than distributing food or providing a bus pass or a referral to a local provider. Something that could empower homeless people while helping the Nashville community better understand the issue. 

Nashville's first street paper, The Contributor, was borne from that meeting. For the past year and a half, while other small weekly papers have been closing their doors, this paper has been thriving while serving a mission greater than simply reporting the news. 

The Contributor delivers diverse perspectives on homelessness while employing dozens of homeless individuals in the process has now been thriving here in Nashville for the past year and a half.  Circulation is now around 4,000 monthly and increasing at a time when other newspapers are closing their doors and moving on. So many prospective vendors arrive at the weekly trainings it's hard to get them all set up for business in the time we originally allotted for this task. 

The Contributor's premise is simple; the all volunteer staff donates their time to organize, assemble and distribute the newspapers to people experiencing homelessness.  While this staff consists primarily of individuals who have never spent a homeless night, many work in some way with disadvantaged populations and they've done an admirable job of both relating to the folks on the street and providing critical moral, financial and physical support for the newspaper.  While advertising would help defray at least some of the costs to publish the paper, The Contributor staff has not exploited this potential opportunity at this point, although there are plans in the future to increase ad sales.

Articles, photos, poetry, songs, puzzles and cartoons can be submitted by anyone, although if the writer has never experienced homelessness, the piece must be related in some way to homelessness.  Those writers who've "rough slept" at some point during their lives or are currently on the street can write about anything, since one of the goals is to provide readers with diverse perspectives.

To sell the newspaper, an individual must be either homeless or formerly homeless and undergo a 30 minute training that lays down the do's and don'ts of behavior as a Contributor vendor.  The new vendor is then issued an ID card and supplied with 15 free newspapers, which he/she can then sell for one dollar wherever they please, whenever they please.  When a vendor needs additional papers, they can purchase them from the office for 25 cents apiece.  The vendor can also earn free papers by referring a new vendor or by writing/contributing something that gets published in the paper.   

If a vendor purchases a consecutive total of ten dollars worth of papers, they receive a black carry-bag emblazoned with The Contributor logo.  This provides additional visibility and credibility for the vendor and the ten dollar goal ensures that expensive supplies aren't given to those who aren't serious about selling the paper.  As a vendor's total newspaper purchases increases, he/she becomes eligible for additional items, including a newspaper vest, hat and shirt.  Importantly, when a vendor sells 300 papers per month consistently (over three or four months), they are allowed to choose a "home territory."  This allows the vendor to capitalize on the relationships and return customers they have cultivated as they work a particular area. 

This is a critical component of the overall aspect of the newspaper, since another goal is to provide the general public with face to face interaction with people experiencing homelessness.  By engaging with those on the street, stereotypes diminish, constructive relationships are formed and public perception shifts towards a more positive understanding of people they know to be homeless. 

Vendors are not employees of the newspaper.  Rather, they are their own bosses running their own business.  The Contributor simply supplies them the necessary materials needed to keep the business running.  Anyone experiencing homelessness can sell the paper, and they can do so on their terms, at times convenient to them, anywhere they find themselves at any given moment in time.  There is no dress code, although when vending individuals must display their Contributor badges, refrain from any other type of selling, respect the right of "first come first serve" and/or "home territories" with other vendors, and vend only when sober. 

Violations of these simple rules can result in disciplinary actions, including suspension of newspaper sales and a termination of the sales relationship if the violations are severe or repeated. 

Content and articles run the gamut, from stories written by local outreach workers to diatribes and screeds from those who have had difficulties with homeless individuals in the past.  Photos, weekly columns and puzzles provide readers with a diverse perspective on homelessness, allow a genuine and immediate sense of gratification as they purchase the paper, and contribute to someone actually working to improve their lot in life rather than simply panhandling for money.

Local businesses, once wary and reluctant to allow Contributor vendors near their store fronts, soon realized that when vendors are present, panhandlers move on.  As vendors made connections in the area, this brought return customers to businesses and now, most businesses are so pleased to have vendors near their store fronts they often provide coffee and snacks to those vendors they have established a relationship with.

Most importantly, for vendors there is a return of self respect, of accomplishment, of belonging once again to their community.  Several vendors have been able to parlay their sales into housing and many use it to supplement their meager social security disability checks. 

One of the homeless vendors who wrote about his transition from a Tent City to housing recently won a "Best Vendor Essay" award from the North American Street Newspaper Association and Tasha French, Executive Director for The Contributor, was just elected to serve on their board. 

Starting a street newspaper from scratch  may seem like an overwhelming task, but when compared to what individuals on the street must endure on a daily basis simply to obtain a little food and a safe place to lay their heads each night, it's barely worth mentioning.  The rewards are great, the cost is minimal, and if you are interested a number of resources are available to assist you in getting the effort from the drawing board to the street.  It's a great way to help and anyone can contribute.