The Big Issue: Why Social Enterprises Tackling Homelessness Are More Important Than Ever.

1 in 5 British people are living in poverty today, yet the government are doing nothing.

The Big Issue: Origins

Founded in London in 1991 by John Bird, who had lived in an orphanage from the age of 7 to 10, and experienced homelessness himself aged 21, and Gordon Roddick, husband of the latte Anita Roddick, founder of the Body Shop, the Big Issue is a social enterprise set up in response to the increasing numbers of homeless people living on the streets of London.

Inspired by ‘Street News’, a newspaper sold by homeless people in New York, the Big Issue was initially set-up with $50,000 in start-up capital from Roddick’s wife's business, the Body Shop. The independent magazine is now entirely self-funded, with all funding coming from vendor sales.

How It Works

A legally recognised form of self-employment/ a self-help option that entails working, not begging, vendors buy their magazines weekly from the Big Issue for £2 each, and sell them to their customers for £4 a time. They keep the profit from every sale, with most choosing to reinvest it in buying more magazines to earn the money they need to lift themselves…