The recent demise of the Boston Phoenix has left many Bostonians wondering what will be the fate of progressive independent journalism in the Greater Boston area. Spare Change News is here to stay. The Homeless Empowerment Project has been publishing Spare Change News, the country’s longest continuously running street paper, for 21 years with the help of generous supporters like you. In addition to several articles composed by persons experiencing homelessness in Greater Boston, SCN has featured interviews with and articles by such major public figures as Noam Chomsky, Barney Frank, Elizabeth Warren, Benjamin Barber, Howard Winant, Danny Glover, Gail Collins, Cornel West, and Howard Zinn. Equally, world renowned photographers such as Peter Yang, Glen Eric Friedman, and Majid Moussavi have donated photos to our organization.
Our publisher The Homeless Empowerment Project, , is undertaking its Spring Donor Appeal through a direct mailing to our donor database and through an appeal to our readers through this ad. You may make a donation by check made out to Homeless Empowerment Project at HEP/Spare Change News, 1151 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, or through our website, www.sparechangenews.net.
We hope that you will consider continuing to support the Homeless Empowerment Project and Spare Change News by making a financial donation.
Published 26 times per year, our monthly circulation is over 16,000. As a part of an international network of 100 street newspapers, our stories can reach a global readership of 6 million. In addition to our commitment to independent journalism written by those most affected by the issues we covers, HEP / Spare Change News has helped over 3,000 vendors build better lives for themselves, enabling many to overcome drug addiction, alcoholism and chronic homelessness.
At this time, over 100 active vendors, many of whom are currently or formerly homeless, depend on the paper to meet their basic needs, supplement benefits checks that barely cover bills, and provide for families. Vendors purchase the paper from our distribution office for $.25 and sell the paper on the streets of Boston, Cambridge, and Somerville for $1.00, earning $.75 on each copy sold. Serving as a vendor for HEP / Spare Change News provides employment for many individuals who find it difficult or impossible to find mainstream employment because of circumstances such as mental or physical disabilities or the simple lack of a phone number or home address.
Your financial support not only provides us with needed funds for our vendor programs, but also enables us to publish a quality newspaper that contributes to the local and national dialogue around social services for homeless and low-income individuals, that customers want to read, and that vendors are proud to sell.
Spare Change News depends on private donations to support our vendors, publish the newspaper and cover the administrative cost of our bare-bones staff. Please consider donating to the Homeless Empowerment Project / Spare Change News to help ensure that we are able to continue our work.
The Homeless Empowerment Project / Spare Change News is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible.
—Vincent Flanagan
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