How Lucrative Is Selling Street Papers?

Street papers are important assets to the communities in which they operate. They are lauded as sources for alternative news as well as a means of earning income for homeless individuals. But just how much money can a person earn hawking street papers?

Homeless papers have been around for some time, but recently, they've been booming. The increase in homelessness has seen an increase in circulation as well as the number of individuals willing to sell the papers. According to the North American Street Paper Association, each of the 25 street papers in 19 cities across the U.S. and Canada have seen steady growth despite the down economy. In Denver, for example, circulation has increased from 9,800 to over 15,000 in just a year. These numbers are impressive, especially when you consider the economic strain many traditional print media sources are feeling.

The business model varies slightly from paper to paper, but it typically works like this: Street vendors pay 25 cents per paper, which they then sell for $1, keeping the difference. Other incentives are built in, including various sale benchmarks to earn vendor vests and hats, and free papers for attending vendor meetings. Vendors must also agree to a code of conduct which bar the use of alcohol, drugs, and peddling papers on private property.

Street paper advocates say that the beauty of the model is that individuals can earn as much or as little as they'd like -- it all depends on how hard they are willing to work.

But just how much money can a street paper vendor earn?

One couple in Nashville sells roughly 500 papers per month and earns "a couple hundred dollars." Unfortunately, despite their sales prowess, their earnings are not enough to pay for housing. So they live in a tent, saving their earnings for an apartment. According to the Tennessean, most street vendors do not use their income from selling street papers as a primary source of income, but rather as a supplement to purchase other necessities, such as medicine, toiletries, pet food, or utility payments.

To be honest, this isn't all that surprising. But be careful before you write off the street paper model because it's not a livable wage generator for street vendors. The real value of purchasing a street paper goes way beyond the physical transaction of paying money for a news source; the intangible benefits are worth much, much more.

First, it's the unique content. Street papers often provide a grassroots perspective on poverty and homelessness that, in many cases, are detailed in a first-person voice. Street vendors are often themselves contributors, and in this digital age, how often can you buy a newspaper from a contributing author?

For vendors, selling a street paper is a job. For many, it's the only job that will take them. For others, it's the first job they've had in a very long time. For these people, selling street papers is about the confidence created by operating a micro-business. The human interaction and opportunity to form relationships. It's the feeling of not being invisible, of having a purpose. Having a reason to get up in the morning.

Buying a street newspaper from a vendor is so much more than a business transaction. It is human interaction, eye contact, the seemingly mundane exchange of pleasantries that mean a great deal to a person who may have been written off. Street papers may not pay anyone's rent or provide a financial vehicle for getting off the streets. But they are a crucial first step towards re-acclimation into a world that has shunned them.

Photo from the Tennessean.