A reporter follows a day in the life of a street magazine seller in Norway, and finds a life of drugs and poverty. But she also finds that Svien is not the stereotype most people associate with streeties and drug users. Megafon Magazine is sold in Bergen, Norway, and is a member of the INSP.  … Continue reading Norway Street Magazine Seller’s Day

In Vancouver, Canada, the homeless are allegedly being targeted by uniformed security guards, hired and paid for by a city sponsored organisation.  This is apparently in an effort to hide the city’s homelessness problem when the Winter Olympics is run in 2010. This story was originally run in Megaphone Magazine, Vancouver, Canada  August edition, a … Continue reading Canada Homeless Targeted by City’s Security Guards

After five years at Sainsbury’s as a warehouseman, Herbert Plant lost his job in 2006, and ended up living on the streets.  In June this year, Herbert won £2.6 million with a lottery ticket he bought from the same store that sacked him. The 49 year old, from Blackpole, Worcester, UK, said he would continue … Continue reading Homeless Man Wins £2.6 million

From Boca de Runa, Porto Alegre, Brazil, June 2008 edition comes the Brazilian magazine’s street vendor’s own stories of what Christmas means to them, and how they spend it. These stories show that, no matter what the circumstances, homeless people have the same basic values and hopes that everybody shares. These stories could have been … Continue reading Brazil: Street People’s Christmas

From the Austin Advocate, Texas, Summer Edition, comes the news that the Texas Senate refused to pass a bill that would protect the homeless from violence and death. The proposed legislation called for vilification of a person simply because they were homeless to be classified as a hate crime, but the Senate didn’t agree the … Continue reading Texas Homeless Hate Crimes

These stories are stories about the poor and vulnerable in our society; stories of social injustice and inequality, in Australia and overseas. This particular story is about the International Network Of Street Publications (INSP). Some of the stories to come are taken from INSP publications around the world. Others are inspired by issues in the … Continue reading INSP Street Papers

National Homeless Person’s Week is held in Australia in the first week of every August, It encourages people to become involved to understand homelessness in their local area, as well as the community as a whole. Homeless Person’s Week this year is from August 4th to August 10th. Homelessness Australia suggests the following as ways … Continue reading Australia Homeless Person’s Week

The Burmese government continues to show its contempt for human life, being unable to pin down the exact number dead or homeless. This is in stark contrast to their exact figures for livestock lost - 1,250,194 chickens and 136,804 buffaloes, including three owned by the government, according to reports in the UK Guardian today.. Cyclone … Continue reading Millions Homeless After Burma Cyclone

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang has issued an urgent international appeal for 3.3 million tents and temporary shelters, to aid the 5 ½  million people left homeless in China as a result of the May 12th earthquake, and subsequent aftershocks.  More than 15 million homes were destroyed in the Chengdu based disaster, and these … Continue reading Five Million Homeless After Chinese Earthquake

The National Youth Commission (NYC) this month released it’s report on youth homelessness, stating that the number of youths aged 12-25 and homeless has doubled in the past twenty years.  This age group now makes up one third of the total 100,000 (estimated) homeless population in Australia. About half of all homeless youths are turned … Continue reading Australian Homeless Youth Numbers Double

Are homeless people living in undeveloped parts of Seattle’s abandoned underground city? From speaking with some of the locals, it would seem that, unpleasant as it is, some homeless do actually live in the underground city. I did the tour, and later talked to the tour guide away from the group. I noticed large holes … Continue reading Seattle Underground Homeless

About 90% of Australian people donate an average of $400 per person to charity each year. But how much do the charities use to help others, and how much do they use to help themselves? A survey by Choice magazine last month showed some surprising results. Of the 11 major charities surveyed, all with exactly … Continue reading Australian Charities Helping Themselves

It looks like Robert Mugabe's reign of terror in Zimbabwe is coming to an end. While the African leader may be departing soon (hopefully), it will take years, or even decades, to make a hole in the homelessness and economic crises he created. The economic destruction of Zimbabwe is appalled by all around the world. … Continue reading Zimbabwe’s Homelessness Crisis

A lot of the streeties (street people) have interesting lives and backgrounds.  One such guy I met, and developed a certain respect for, was Shane S, who managed to convince Queensland Premier Peter Beattie to come up with $135 million dollars in Homelessness Projects Funding..  Shane sold the Big Issue in Brisbane.  He also held … Continue reading Australian Street Person Starts Homelessness Projects Funding

Walter was a foreign citizen who came to Australia to work, became gravely ill, and ended up on the streets because if the illness. He faced permanent blindness and eventually death, yet the Australian government would do nothing to help him. At the time I met Walter (not his real name), I was working for … Continue reading Australian Government Deserts Homeless Foreigner

One of the most despicable actions forcing people onto the streets are the tactics of unscrupulous real estate agents (realtors). These unconscionable people play on the fact that, with rising interest rates, many people are forced out of the homes they own. Therefore, there are now more people looking for rentals than there are rentals … Continue reading Unjust Rent Increases Force People Onto The Streets

Most people in the mainstream regard homeless people as either mentally ill, drug or alcohol dependent, or some other such degree of marginalisation. However, there seems to be more and more "average" people joining the ranks of the homeless. I watched the early news this morning, and saw a story of a woman who, I … Continue reading The New Homeless