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The cover features a derelict Santa with a cigarette dangling from his mouth; inside are articles about poverty and homelessness, and guides to community events and services for the homeless. Of the magazine's 32 pages, five are in Spanish.
"New magazine empowers homeless with guaranteed jobs and income," trumpeted announcements of the new venture. Just how empowering earning spare change on the sidewalk instead of panhandling on the sidewalk can be is a matter of some debate. But there is no arguing the fact that similar enterprises have been operating successfully for years in other American cities as well as in Canada and Europe.
"I don't think it's good for people,
I don't think there's a market for it,
and I don't think it's different from panhandling."
Community Partnership for Homeless executive director Lynn Summers
The business of publishing "street newspapers" sold by street people, who often write them or are written about in them, may be a relatively new industry in this country, but it already boasts a 40-paper trade association: the North American Street Newspaper Association (NASNA). StreetSmarts is a near-clone of several publications that have appeared during the past six years in cities such as New York, Chicago, Seattle, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
The first street paper originated in New York nearly ten years ago as a simple way for homeless people to pick up some income, according to Timothy Harris, chairman of NASNA and founder of two street papers. "A lot of people liked to help poor people and they liked to see poor people working to help themselves," says Harris from his office in Seattle. "It was sort of entrepreneurial. It wasn't an empowerment project."
Then around 1992 several different papers emerged, each seeking to be a voice for the poor and disenfranchised and to educate the public about the growing problem of homelessness.
By now many of these nonprofit enterprises are touted as financial triumphs for both publishers and vendors. "It's a growing movement," says Michael Stoops, director of field organizing for the National Coalition for the Homeless in Washington, DC, and a staffer at the three-year-old NASNA.
"The homeless are like any minority group: they need media coverage because the mainstream media doesn't cover our issues," he explains.
Covering streetside Miami, though, is going to be a whole different story. StreetSmarts publishers Carolyn Blair and Frank Kaiser face a formidable obstacle: gaining favor with the Dade County Homeless Trust and the powerful alliance of citizens who created it, who established a countywide system of homeless care, and who control most of the funding that comes into the county for homeless programs.
Despite the fledgling publishers' requests for support and applications for grant money, the powers that be have snubbed StreetSmarts. Blair and Kaiser (who are married and operate an advertising agency) say they've so far spent $35,000 of their own money to get their magazine off the ground. "We've been running around in a circle," Blair complains, "and it all comes back to the fact that the Homeless Trust controls all the money and they're not about to fund us."
Indeed Lynn Summers, executive director of the Community Partnership for Homeless, the nonprofit that created the two largest emergency shelters in the county, is unflinching in her criticism. "I find it completely contrary to any notion of moving people to independent living," she declares. "I don't think it's good for people, I don't think there's a market for it, and I don't think it's different from panhandling."
But Camillus House, the venerable downtown homeless facility, has donated office space for the StreetSmarts headquarters. The organization is cautious about actually endorsing the venture. "We've donated space to them, and that tells you we're supporting the idea," says spokeswoman Georgia Brown. "That's as far as we've really gone. Their success remains to be seen."
Blair and Kaiser can recruit vendors from the plentiful supply of homeless waiting around Camillus House for meals, medical treatment, or a place to sleep. Anyone interested in selling StreetSmarts will get a briefing on the concept behind the paper and rules of conduct and "attitude" (no drug or alcohol use or aggression). If they decide to sign up, they'll get instructions on sales techniques ("Look the customer in the eye; be proud of the product."), a picture ID badge, and 10 copies of the magazine. Where to set up shop is left to the vendor. If he comes back with the 10 issues sold, he can keep the entire ten dollars and receive another ten copies. If he comes back again with all ten sold, he keeps those proceeds, too. In addition he can buy as many copies as he can afford for 25 cents apiece and keep whatever proceeds come after that.
As of last week, Blair says, 39 vendors were working downtown Miami. The couple has also begun developing a StreetSmarts sales force in Broward County, which has proved slightly more hospitable than Dade; the Broward Homeless Coalition actually agreed to place a $230 ad in the publication's next issue.
The first edition of StreetSmarts contains an interview with actor and activist Martin Sheen, reprinted from a Los Angeles homeless magazine, as well as another reprint about famous musicians involved in social causes. Blair, who is 58 years old, wrote an account of how she and Kaiser, age 63, came to start StreetSmarts. (Both say they are recovering alcoholics and drug addicts, and Kaiser was once homeless in Honolulu).
The premier issue also features poetry written by homeless people, descriptions of local diners, social service listings, a story about homelessness in South Florida that includes tips on how readers can help those living on the streets, and a fanciful tale of Santa's sleigh crashing on Flagler Street after colliding with turkey buzzards overhead.
Most of the $150,000 Blair and Kaiser have spent has paid for fact-finding trips to Montreal (a NASNA convention) and Chicago (observing operations of that city's street paper), printing 25,000 copies, developing a Web site, and mailing out copies of the debut issue. The money has come mainly from earnings of Kaiser Communications, an ad agency the couple founded in Chicago and moved to Miami ten years ago.
They became intrigued with the idea of starting a street paper after coming across one during a visit to London several years ago. Their motive, they say, is not to make money. "We saw this works in other cities," explains Blair. "We just see this as a way to change some lives. This is a time in our lives when we decided we had to do something to make a difference.
Claims of remarkable earnings abound. Kaiser and Blair say at least one man working at Bayside Marketplace made $88 in one day. In other cities with established papers, such as Chicago and Seattle, some homeless workers are reportedly pulling in $450 to $750 per month. Circulation figures are even more impressive: Chicago's StreetWise has sold nine million copies in the six years of its existence, according to executive director, Anthony Oliver, and reports average sales of 120,000 per month.
In Seattle, RealChange has a circulation of about 25,000 copies per month, a figure that is expected to climb 15 - 25 percent now that the magazine is bimonthly, says executive director Timothy Harris. "This is an opportunity for someone who has absolutely no income and is desperate," Harris explains. "We see people come in with really subterranean self-esteem. As they begin to gain some experience, get good feedback, and start to develop relationships with people out there, it really changes their outlook. Their experiences with success sometimes leads to them getting work."
The number of homeless people who use their experiences as vendors to secure permanent employment and housing remains largely unknown. None of the established street papers except StreetWise in Chicago has tracked this with any regularity. But StreetWise's Oliver reports that in 1997, a respectable 34 percent of his vendors went on to stable, permanent jobs.
The successful vendors, Oliver acknowledges, are those who are highly motivated. Like most who work in the field, he recognizes that a significant percentage of his vendors (perhaps twenty percent) are chronically homeless and won't change their lifestyles, but they can do well selling papers and use the extra money for comfort items such as restaurant meals.
So in a sense, critics point out, selling a street paper keeps a street person in the very place he's supposed to leave, a paradox that troubles Lynn Summers of the Community Partnership for Homeless. "I think it's exploiting the condition of homelessness," she contends. "I can see some value in joining in some initiative because homeless people tend to be so remote, isolated, and cut off. But I wonder if there aren't other ways to provide that joining experience."
Blair and Kaiser figure that as StreetSmarts becomes known, they'll prove to their detractors that the paper really can empower the homeless, and that financial support will begin to supplement sales revenues. They also hope they'll be able to attract local writers, artists, and photographers as contributors.
"When street newspapers get off the ground, generally they don't have any staff. They scrape together money to put out the first issue, then word starts to spread," says Michael Stoops of the National Coalition for the Homeless and one of Kaiser and Blair's most avid supporters over the past several months. "Then they add subscriptions. Then they're able to get grants," he notes.
That's what happened with StreetWise in Chicago, certainly the star of America's street-newspaper movement. That paper now has a staff of fifteen, an annual budget of $900,000, and last month opened a $750,000 job-training center.
Says executive director, Anthony Oliver: "It's a stair step from selling newspapers to gainful employment." kathy-glasgow@maiminewtimes.com
Letters to the Editor about this article...
StreetSmarts: Keep Them Invisible
I enjoyed Kathy Glasgow's article about StreetSmarts magazine ("Brother, Can You Spare a Byline?" January 7). 1 read the first issue and found it interesting and well written. How curious, then, was the reported reaction of Lynn Summers, executive director of the Community Partnership for Homeless.
Apparently entrepreneurship, which is the fashionable prescription for every imaginable social ill, is fine for everyone else but beneath the dignity of our cherished homeless. In fact, I think the real objection to StreetSmarts is that both its editorial content and the process of selling it make the homeless more visible. As they look you in the eye and offer you the magazine, you might even notice that they are human beings! This, of course, is anathema to certain interests whose central goal in dealing with the homeless has been, until now, to render them invisible. Until now those interests have had a disproportionate influence.
Were it not for the First Amendment, I think StreetSmarts would already have been suppressed. As it is, however, our insurance agency is thinking about buying an ad. I hope other businesses will join us, and that someday the people who serve the homeless on behalf of our community will come to appreciate the value of the publication.
Santiago Leon, Miami
StreetSmarts Is More Than Smarty-Pants Stuff
I thought Kathy Glasgow's "Brother, Can You Spare a Byline" January 7) was a somewhat negative approach to an innovative attack on the homeless problem. It seems that Lynn Summers of the Community Partnership for Homeless is more interested in hiding the homeless in shelters than returning them to the workforce. Perhaps the community partnership has a vested interest in keeping the homeless numbers up to create jobs and prestige for themselves. Summers attacked the StreetSmarts concept as panhandling, but didn't offer an alternative. She appears typical of the Miami clique that wants to control everything.
Last week I bought a copy of StreetSmarts from a vendor in South Miami. He was a pleasant man who was able to offer me something of value rather than simply begging. Having StreetSmarts to sell seems to have raised his self-respect. I am hopeful that he will sell enough papers to be encouraged to work for a living.
I have observed street newspapers as far away as my. hometown of Glasgow, Scotland, where homeless sell The Big Issue. Properly identified with a vendor badge, they set themselves apart from the beggars lying on the sidewalk. It seems to work.
Publishers Frank Kaiser and Carolyn Blair face an uphill battle. I compliment them on the excellent quality of their editorial work and wish them success in their courageous effort to break through the barriers the establishment has created. And I commend New Times for enlightening readers about problems that Miami-Dade County would rather sweep under the rug.
Doug Noble, Miami
StreetSmarts: The View from the Street
After a number of months spent living on the streets and in shelters, I can tell you that homeless people are not doing much better than StreetSmarts itself. Perhaps it will end up being a welcome voice that currently does not exist.
Frequently I question who the homeless programs are serving. I am often confused by their attitudes and regulations. Even though they might have ex-homeless people working at some of them, I have wondered if it is in the best interest of the homeless, as they [the programs] are frequently rude and nasty and seem to look down on those who are trying to get off the street.
Ask any shelter what their success rate is. Or maybe you shouldn't; the answer most likely won't be straight. Perhaps New Times should ask how many homeless people were kicked out last night because of their proverbial "noncompliance" category. No one knows what that means. It's vaguer than "army intelligence."
I have wondered if the federal government's Department of Housing and Urban Development, which funds most of this, should send in undercover homeless investigators. They might find out more than they want to know.
Please don't think I have no gratitude. I am sure the programs are worth something, but I doubt they have any quality assurance, ethics, or treatment-improvement protocol to follow. If they do, it surely has gone past me. The lack of confidentiality and the comedy of errors are more than I would like to account. But what the heck, it is the homeless person's fault. And of course if we hadn't made the mistake we wouldn't have been in this predicament. Ha! I've wondered how the fuck they ended up working with us.
It blew me away that in the local homeless coalition, unlike the People with AIDS Coalition, does not have one homeless person in it. It should be the Homeless Vendors Coalition To tell you the truth, I have wondered if they know what the hell they are doing. Years of experience does not qualify anyone if they have been doing it wrong.
Name Withheld by Request, Miami
She Has Read It - Really!
I recently read Kathy Glasgow's article on the new street publication StreetSmarts and found the remarks by some of the people to be rather frightening. In particular Lynn Summers with the Community Partnership for Homeless says, "I do not believe It is not what the agencies believe will work that counts. It is what the homeless believe and want.
Obviously the project is off to an auspicious start. This type of publication does not exploit the homeless. There are people all over this country who have left the streets because of such an opportunity. The chance to be a vendor builds confidence and self-esteem. Panhandling does not. 'Mat is the difference on that account.
I think that people who object to such sales fear the homeless will have too much voice. Where does all the money go that is raised by this partnership - to the people or to the administration of the partnership?
'Mere needs to be a realization among service providers that the homeless are the ones who know what they need to get off the streets. The service providers don't know that.
In time StreetSmarts will prove its worth over and over again. And yes, I have read it.
Virginia Sellner, executive director, Wyoming Coalition for the Homeless Cheyenne, Wyoming
StreetSmarts: Keep Them Poor
Thank you for Kathy Glasgow's great article on the obstacles to helping the homeless. It was well written and very articulate. Publishers Frank Kaiser and Carolyn Blair are heroes in their own right. The county's Homeless Trust, on the other hand, is a freaking menace.
I would like to believe that the title "executive director" does not always mean "bloodsucking obstructionist" when it comes to charitable organizations, but it certainly looks as though Lynn Summers wants homeless people to be as irretrievably poor as possible for as long as possible. 'Me only reason I can see why someone would object to giving human beings a hand up and out of a humiliating situation is that this someone gets either gratification from others' suffering or some kind of profit In either case ifs time for some new voices and new solutions.
If all Kaiser and Blair do for the homeless is give them a possibility of recovery, then why not extend that hope to those who need it most? Bravo, New Times! Thanks for giving them a voice.
Sylvia Maltzman, Miami Beach
StreetSmarts: Keep Them Homeless
I thoroughly enjoyed the first edition of StreetSmarts when I was visiting Miami and was happy to pay the small price to help the homeless. What happened to free enterprise? This gives the street person an incredible opportunity to begin a job to help get off the streets. It seems to me Miami-Dade County wants the homeless to stay right where they are: living on the streets.
There will always be poor people, but if we can help a few of them to pursue a better life for just a few cents, I am all for it. Frank Kaiser and Carolyn Blair are trying to give these people an opportunity to survive.
Judy K. Vosburg, Boise, Idaho
StreetSmarts: Why Not Try Something New?
I am writing in support of the StreetSmarts initiative of Frank Kaiser and Carolyn Blair and against the quick criticism of it by Lynn Summers, executive director of the Community Partnership for Homeless.
I am surprised that a public official who is in such a prominent position in the fight against homelessness - the same one who is managing the two largest emergency shelters in Miami-Dade County - would dismiss a nationwide experience of empowerment as being not "good for people" and not being any "different from panhandling."
In case Ms. Summers is unaware, the concept being implemented by Mr. Kaiser and Ms. Blair already has been successfully undertaken in other American cities, as well as in Canada and Europe. Furthermore if we really want the problem solved, we should welcome different approaches rather than boycotting them. With new welfare-to-work policies demanding innovative responses, Lynn Summers's attitude shows little spirit for creative ventures to tackle social issues.
Considering the trend of decreasing funds for social needs, I wonder what alternatives we will be using in the years to come if we do not experiment now with new ones, or if we characterize as exploitation the few new initiatives in Miami-Dade on behalf of our homeless. Lynn, please reconsider.
Adriano Pianesi, North Miami
StreetSmarts: Better a Hand Up Than a Handout
I support the idea of a magazine like StreetSmarts. I think it's a good step in helping the homeless who want to start (or return to) doing something productive instead of simply begging for money. It can help develop self-esteem, a proper work ethic, and ultimately lead to a real job.
As a community we need to pull together to encourage programs that teach the homeless to help themselves. It's a far better alternative than simply supporting a welfare mentality, which in essence teaches nothing more then expecting a handout instead of a helpful hand up.
Christopher Tippins, Miami
StreetSmarts: Freedom Is Not a Disability
Kathy Glasgow's article about the struggling new publication StreetSmarts was very informative regarding the success of street papers in boosting some homeless people's self-esteem by allowing them to earn money. It also revealed a lack of understanding within established homeless organizations. I was particularly put off by the narrow views expressed by Lynn Summers.
She doesn't think selling papers for a few bucks is good for homeless people, and that "it's exploiting the condition of homelessness." According to the article, she admits she "can see some value in joining in some initiative because homeless people tend to be so remote, isolated, and cut off." She wonders if there aren't other ways to provide that joining experience, but she does not offer any better alternatives. Why doesn't she support this effort in its ability to help some homeless people who can benefit from the minimal structure involved in selling street papers?
I have had conversations with people living on the streets and have met some who have a pretty good grasp of their situation. I've even talked to some who see certain homeless communities such as Tent City, a "safe zone" in Fort Lauderdale, as a kind of interactive therapy for those who are on the streets because of substance abuse or mental problems. This successful experiment dealing with the homeless is about to close because a more program-oriented homeless assistance center is opening. The new center, however, will not deal with all the homeless, just those who fit its qualifications, dispersing the rest back to the streets to become "remote, isolated, and cut off" from their safe zone community.
This is the mindset of official homeless organizations that annoys me. Their whole focus is to control the homeless and push them into molds that may not fit well. It's commendable that those homeless people with the wherewithal to get back on their feet and into mainstream society are being helped, but most of the people are going to remain homeless (or incarcerated against their will). They will not become mentally stable, will not give up booze or dope, will not get it together to hold a regular job no matter how many social do-gooders pester them. This is reality. Sony if it doesn't fit into the master plan of helping the homeless.
Some people can't compromise and live by the restrictive rules we working stiffs do. Some people can't put up with 40 hours a week of bullshit from a supervisor. For whatever reasons, they have dropped out of mainstream culture. Perhaps the best that society can do is show a little tolerance for their limitations by displaying a little compassion and charity, and, perhaps, by not viewing freedom as a disability.
So here's an alternative to simply existing and begging. By selling the street paper, those with some ability to work can meet a very important psychological need: to feel worthwhile to themselves and others. This is one of the criteria for good mental balance, along with a sense of community, of belonging, and a sense of freedom or autonomy.
Social workers and programs cannot reach everyone on the streets and until a person realizes his own problem, there is nothing anyone else can do. Selling street papers is just a small step in the self-help journey street people must reveal if they want to improve their community standing. It is a shame that the director of the Community Partnership for Homeless cannot see the value in this self-empowerment for some homeless people.
Rob Boyte, Miami Beach
Editor's note: This past Monday [January 18, 1999] Lynn Summers announced her resignation from the Community Partnership for Homeless, having fulfilled the three-year commitment she made when hired. |
