Papers Produced and Sold by Homeless Increase Circulation Sales

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Bundles of the New York Times

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In a time when many mainstream newspapers across the nation are finding it difficult to stay afloat, for some reason, newspapers being circulated by the homeless, with papers mainly produced by nonprofits, seem to be attracting readers with their "offbeat coverage" , since the nation's economic downturn.

From the article:

Paper managers and their vendors say the job provides a special freedom, a sense of personal responsibility that helps homeless and impoverished people build the confidence they need to rejoin the mainstream work force. Each vendor’s success rides on his own innovation and gumption.

At Street Sense in Washington, the paper’s executive director, Laura Osuri, said that in recent months “higher quality” vendors — newly needy, and not quite so down-and-out — have helped push papers out the door faster than ever.

At twice-weekly training sessions held in one of several small rooms the paper rents from the Church of the Epiphany, L. Morrow, an old hand, uses role-playing to teach salesmanship.

The entire article can be found here.