Street Sense Inc

Our mission is to serve as a vehicle for elevating voices and public debate on issues relating to poverty while also creating economic opportunities for people who are experiencing homelessness in our community.  Our goals are to provide a stepping stone toward self-sufficiency for homeless men and women in D.C. and give them a true voice on issues affecting their community.

We do this through the production of the street newspaper, Street Sense. Through newspaper sales, the paper empowers homeless and formerly homeless individuals by providing them with instant income and immediate connections to people from all walks of life. After going through orientation and training, these individuals buy copies of the paper from the organization for 50 cents each and then sell them for $2.00. We have more than 125 active vendors with the average vendor making about $10 an hour.

Many vendors write for the paper, in fact half of the paper - mainly editorials, fiction and poetry - are written by homeless individuals. The paper also includes relevant news articles on issues of poverty not often covered by the mainstream media. Currently about 25,000 copies are distributed monthly.

While other nonprofits organizations provide services to homeless men and women, Street Sense provides them with the tools and skill set necessary to begin getting their lives back on track.  Street Sense gives those we serve a real opportunity to escape the grip of poverty and homelessness. Street Sense provides its vendors with a modest income, a clear voice and invaluable self-respect.

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