Welcome to the New Homeless Grapevine
The New Homeless Grapevine is a newspaper written by homeless individuals, formerly homeless people, and those working with the homeless in Northeast Ohio. The newspaper was first created by residents of Project: HEAT Shelter "Site E", formerly located in a temporary class building of Cleveland State University.
The New Grapevine follows in the tradition of newspapers sold by homeless persons throughout the country. These newspapers have been an important medium for people who are homeless to have a voice in their community and to offer a product for which they can request donations.
The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless (NEOCH) is actively helping to coordinate the production of the New Grapevine. It is NEOCH’s goal to have the paper self -supporting and run entirely by people who are homeless or formerly homeless.
The purpose of the New Homeless Grapevine is to:
- Provide a forum for homeless people to share their opinions and ideas on issues that may or may not be specific to being homeless.
- Share information for the homeless - about homeless rights, housing, legislative issues, maybe jobs, support services, etc.
- Provide those not homeless with greater understanding about what homelessness means...and what it cost.
- Provide income and foster responsibility to those selling the paper.
- Provide a medium for those in need of skills training to have hands on experience in the production of a newspaper.
- Empower the dispossessed: homeless and housed.
As many of the proceeds as possible will go to the individual who distributes the paper. A small percentage (approximately 20%) of what she or he receives will go into the Homeless Grapevine Fund at NEOCH to support the further production of the paper. Production costs will remain low, limited at this time to the costs of printing the paper and to paying the homeless writers for their articles, stories, essays, and poems.
NEOCH provides technical assistance, office space, and use of equipment as part of NEOCH's mission to educate the public and empower the homeless.
The New Homeless Grapevine is still in its initial organizational stages. The way it is fiscally managed as well as the way it is distributed may change as the homeless involved with the paper make modifications.
Copyright 1993 Homeless Grapevine and the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless