http://www.usatoday.com/money/smallbusiness/2009-09-07-homelessnewspaper_N.htm
Article about The Contributor in USA today
http://www.insidevandy.com/drupal/node/15776
Vanderbilt article about homelessness
http://nashvillecitypaper.com/content/city-news/contributor-sues-brentwood-over-alleged-civil-rights-violations
Interesting part of this posting is the responses to the post. Some are supportive of the homeless selling the papers and expanding into Brentwood and some are strongly against The Contributor and efforts to expand into Brentwood.
http://www.tennessean.com/article/20111014/NEWS01/310140059/For-homeless-street-paper-success-story
Article and video in the Tennessean. The comments on this article are far more positive and supportive of the homeless and The Contributor.
Saturday, October 22, 2011
Monday, October 10, 2011
Glossary for Homelessness
Glossary for Homelessness:
Homelessness: people without a permanent residence. May be unable or unwilling to find housing. Also includes people who sleep at shelters and centers.
The Contributor: Magazine created for homeless vendors to sell. Includes articles by the homeless themselves as well as journalists writing about topics such as homelessness and poverty.
Vendors: a currently or formerly homeless person who sells the Contributor newspaper in Nashville.
Territory: Area in which a vendor sells his or her newspaper. These territories can become permanent if vendor consistently sells 300 or more papers in a month.
Shelter:
Subsidized Housing: government supported accomodation for people with low to moderate income levels.
Chronic homelessness: An individual who has experienced homelessness for a year or more, or has had four episodes of homelessness in three years.
Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness: A government organized program to end homelessness
http://scoutmob.com/nashville/today/2011-10-10
Homelessness: people without a permanent residence. May be unable or unwilling to find housing. Also includes people who sleep at shelters and centers.
The Contributor: Magazine created for homeless vendors to sell. Includes articles by the homeless themselves as well as journalists writing about topics such as homelessness and poverty.
Vendors: a currently or formerly homeless person who sells the Contributor newspaper in Nashville.
Territory: Area in which a vendor sells his or her newspaper. These territories can become permanent if vendor consistently sells 300 or more papers in a month.
Shelter:
Subsidized Housing: government supported accomodation for people with low to moderate income levels.
Chronic homelessness: An individual who has experienced homelessness for a year or more, or has had four episodes of homelessness in three years.
Ten Year Plan to End Homelessness: A government organized program to end homelessness
http://scoutmob.com/nashville/today/2011-10-10
Friday, October 7, 2011
October 7 In Class Blog
My project is significant because it addresses homelessness in Nashville and the impact of the Contributor in altering not only the percetipon the homeless have of themselves, also their perception in society. After delving more into this issue, I have come to discover that homelessness is not an individual issue, but rather a community issue that needs to be addressed by society as a whole. As a result of the Contributer, many have come to see homeless not as a general issue, but as a more personal issue involving people they have come to know and care about.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Interview: Andrew Krinks, Editor of Contributor
I am doing my project on the Contributor and the effect is has had on the identity and perception of it's homeless venders, including the perception of society and the bridging of the gap between different socio-economic levels. I talked with Andrew Krinks from the Contributor and had an incredibly interesting and informative conversation, some of which is available below:
Kelly Tillotson: I think it's so interesting how people's perceptions have changed of the homeless have changed because of the Contributor...so can you speak more into that and how not only their perception of themselves has changed, but also society's perception of them?
Andrew Krinks: That's a great question....well, as far as their perception of themselves...people that I've talked to, they really do feel like they are doing a service for people, and there is no discounting the extreme significance of being able to contribute something to someone else. Receiving a gift from someone is one thing...but I think that what ends up meaning the most to folks is being able to stand there and know that they are a part of the broader community and feeling like they can contribute to it in a concrete way. People who are poor and homeless have immense capabilities and capacities to change themselves and the people around them, and to influence their world. They have hopes and dreams and desires and feelings like anybody else, so when someone is given the space to realize just a couple of those...to interact with lots of normal, everyday people, I think that goes a long way for a lot of people who otherwise would be living their monotonous life going to the shelter at 5:00 and sleeping in room full of hundreds of people who are really in a bad place kind of going by yourself, keeping to yourself, but it's kind of a door into a wider community. Hence the community idea, as far as I can tell, one of the common denominators of all the people who are homeless...is that for pretty much across the board, anyone who becomes homeless experience some kind of falling away of their community support system, and so what it looks like to be poor at the root, or homeless particularly, is to be essentially in isolation without a support system around you. So the fact that people don't want to talk to you based on your appearance is kind of isolation in all senses...our theory is that part of healing entails rebuilding community around people who have lost it.
On the public side, the total result is...homelessnesswent from something you don't have to see or face...seei ng it face to face and rolling down the window, having a conversation is a means for people to have their minds changed a little bit, kind of about breaking down the stereotypes about homeless people...when they find out they have histories like their own...they are just normal folks just have had different circumstances. I think that is one of the most important things we do...is to educate and start a conversation that can help break down some of those stereotypes and open the door for some different perspectives and relationships.
Kelly Tillotson: I think it's so interesting how people's perceptions have changed of the homeless have changed because of the Contributor...so can you speak more into that and how not only their perception of themselves has changed, but also society's perception of them?
Andrew Krinks: That's a great question....well, as far as their perception of themselves...people that I've talked to, they really do feel like they are doing a service for people, and there is no discounting the extreme significance of being able to contribute something to someone else. Receiving a gift from someone is one thing...but I think that what ends up meaning the most to folks is being able to stand there and know that they are a part of the broader community and feeling like they can contribute to it in a concrete way. People who are poor and homeless have immense capabilities and capacities to change themselves and the people around them, and to influence their world. They have hopes and dreams and desires and feelings like anybody else, so when someone is given the space to realize just a couple of those...to interact with lots of normal, everyday people, I think that goes a long way for a lot of people who otherwise would be living their monotonous life going to the shelter at 5:00 and sleeping in room full of hundreds of people who are really in a bad place kind of going by yourself, keeping to yourself, but it's kind of a door into a wider community. Hence the community idea, as far as I can tell, one of the common denominators of all the people who are homeless...is that for pretty much across the board, anyone who becomes homeless experience some kind of falling away of their community support system, and so what it looks like to be poor at the root, or homeless particularly, is to be essentially in isolation without a support system around you. So the fact that people don't want to talk to you based on your appearance is kind of isolation in all senses...our theory is that part of healing entails rebuilding community around people who have lost it.
On the public side, the total result is...homelessnesswent from something you don't have to see or face...seei ng it face to face and rolling down the window, having a conversation is a means for people to have their minds changed a little bit, kind of about breaking down the stereotypes about homeless people...when they find out they have histories like their own...they are just normal folks just have had different circumstances. I think that is one of the most important things we do...is to educate and start a conversation that can help break down some of those stereotypes and open the door for some different perspectives and relationships.
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