The Contributor

04/13/2022

In our newest issue, we’ve partnered with @pleasevotenashville to bring you this ballot breakdown describing each office and candidate for the May 3rd election!

Get your copy now!

04/12/2022

Tennessee General Assembly Schedule

**TIME SENSITIVE CALL TO ACTION!**

TELL YOUR SENATOR TO VOTE NO ON SB1610!

Last week, SB1610, passed in the Senate Judiciary Committee with a 7-2 vote. The bill will now go before the senate floor for a final vote, this Wednesday, April 13th at 8:30am.

Open Table Nashville, Inc. has detailed on their post below how YOU can help!

https://www.facebook.com/opentablenashville/posts/354777693342280

04/02/2022

Tune into WPLN News - Nashville Public Radio This is Nashville at noon today to hear your girl talk about how COOL voting is & how YOU can easily get involved in voting in local elections.

Let us help you! I run (alongside many amazing volunteers) a non-profit, non-partisan voting guide for davidson county elections called Please Vote Nashville + we partner with an amazing newspaper organization The Contributor that helps lift our fellow Nashvillians out of homelessness. We have three elections this year!!

Tune into 90.3 for this talk 🗳📖

03/29/2022

CALL TO ACTION!

"If passed, this legislation would further burden our friends on the streets by making it even more difficult to find housing and employment if charged. It also could impact some respected forms of employment such as selling street papers through The Contributor."

03/29/2022

This is our friend Tammy. She is experiencing homelessness with her adult son, Ray. After Tammy’s husband passed away, they lost their house, and found themselves on the street. There is no shelter that Tammy and Ray could live in together, so they lived in an encampment outdoors until recently, when they moved into a hotel room for a year through a rapid rehousing program. They will stay here while they continue to work towards permanent housing.

Tammy and Ray chose to stay together because they are family and support one another. SB1610 would criminalize Tammy and Ray because there are no shelter options that would allow them to stay together.

Head to our linktree (https://linktr.ee/OpenTableNashville) and click on the first “Call to Action” button for our sample email to tell TN Senate Judiciary Committee Members and Officers to VOTE NO ON SB1610. Homelessness is not a crime!

PC: Tasha Lemley

03/29/2022

This is our friend Lee. Before Lee got into housing, he was living outdoors in an encampment near his place of employment. The nearest shelter was far away from Lee’s job, and public transportation wasn’t always available at the early morning and late night hours that his job sometimes required. As a result, living in a shelter was not an option for Lee if he wanted to get to his job on time each day.

For Lee and so many of our other friends on the streets, shelter was not an option.

SB1610 criminalizes folks that shelters are not an option for. Head to our linktree (https://linktr.ee/OpenTableNashville) and click on the first “Call to Action” button for our sample email. Demand legislation that invests in housing and low-barrier employment opportunities, not handcuffs!

03/29/2022

Do you have a partner or spouse? During a season of crisis, would you want to separate yourself from them, or would you want to stay together? There are no shelters that couples like our friends, Angie and Calico, can access. As a result, camping outdoors is their reality until their name comes up for housing. SB1610 would criminalize Angie and Calico for choosing to keep their family and support system intact.

Ask the TN Senate Judiciary Committee to VOTE NO ON SB1610. Head to our linktree (https://linktr.ee/OpenTableNashville) and click on the first “Call to Action” button for our sample email. Demand housing, not handcuffs!

Photo Credit: John Partipilo

03/21/2022

On the streets now!!

Our newest issue features stories from three vendors in the INSP network, including our own Vicky B!

Each writer talks about their experience moving into housing. Pick up a copy from your local vendor today!

03/02/2022

The worst of cold weather shelter season is hopefully behind us. Get a candid look at that system in the new issue of The Contributor. Out today!

03/01/2022

Now Available DDC S3

Hear the highlights from Cathy's deep dish conversation! 😍

02/28/2022

NEWS - Issuu

The second in our Q and A series with Judith Tackett features Councilwoman Joy Styles - District 32! Check it out:

Council member Joy Styles (District 32) said that she has always loved helping people. As a former actress and recording artist, Styles has honed her communications skills. She believes that people need to use their voices to work together and solve problems.

02/23/2022

The Contributor: Feb. 16, 2022

This weekend is the last for the Black History and Black Craftspeople tours at Tennessee State Museum! Read a little preview in the current issue.

The Contributor helps our homeless neighbors establish their own micro-businesses and work their way into housing through selling an award winning street paper. Vendors earn immediate income, establish meaningful relationships, regain their dignity, and become Contributors to the community.

02/22/2022

Vendor Dave thinks music is a worthwhile hobby. I bet some of our Nashville readers can relate!

Pick up a copy of the latest paper from Dave at Second Avenue South!
https://issuu.com/the-contributor-live/docs/02.16.2022_-_digital/s/14831356

02/17/2022

Join Nashville solution to homeless, The Contributor, and combat housing insecurity!

The Contributor has partnered with Nashville Low Barrier Housing Collective to make housing accessible to individual experiencing homelessness, but we need your help.

Please email or call our housing specialist to receive further information on how to lower housing barriers and the incentives for doing so. 💛

02/16/2022

The Black History Month issue is out! Our cover story looks at Tennessee State Museum tours that center Black stories!

Buy a copy from your favorite vendor today!

02/15/2022

NEWS - Issuu

In the first of a series, Judith Tackett talks to District 16 council member, Ginny Welsch!

Keep an eye out for the next part in the series in the new issue tomorrow!

https://issuu.com/the-contributor-live/docs/02.02.2022_-_digital/s/14691347

Council Member Ginny Welsch met me at a coffee shop in District 16. Welsch chairs the Metro Council Human Services Committee — she shared that the committee wants to put a special focus on homelessness issues this year. (Editor’s note: Welsch invited Tackett to attend her committee meetings as a...

02/11/2022

Jesse got his own apartment! And had it totally outfitted with donated furniture! Supporting The Contributor makes things like this happen 💛

02/09/2022

COVER STORY - Issuu

"As the pandemic devastates the poor, the world's 10 richest have multiplied their wealth into trillions."

The statistics in this INSP cover story are shocking. Read more in the latest issue of The Contributor.

https://issuu.com/the-contributor-live/docs/02.02.2022_-_digital/s/14691312

The numbers are unbelievably staggering: The world’s 10 richest men more than doubled their fortunes from $700 billion to $1.5 trillion —at a rate of $15,000 per second or $1.3 billion a day, according to a new study from Oxfam International.

02/08/2022

A small change to the sign — we are open 5 days a week now!

As always, we are still helping people experiencing homelessness run their own business and make their own money to get the things they want and need.

02/07/2022

Daniel is one of our artists! You may have seen his work on the wrapping paper editions last year. Pick up a copy of the paper to read his story and see his work!

https://issuu.com/the-contributor-live/docs/02.02.2022_-_digital/s/14691333

02/04/2022

NEWS - Issuu

In the second part of a series on Metro Nashville Public Schools, we look at how homeless families lost touch during the year away, and how the school sought to reconnect.

When school buildings shut down during the 2020-2021 school year, thousands of homeless students went “missing.” School liaisons lost touch with students in precarious housing situations, or didn’t get the chance to identify them to begin with. Some moved out of the district altogether.

02/03/2022

Don’t forget that we take Venmo! Just scan the QR code on the paper and type in the vendor’s name and badge number. Money goes right to them!

02/02/2022

New issue day! INSP brings us a story on wealth gaps for our cover.

01/28/2022

Hand warmers are a hit at The Contributor! Perfect for long hours selling papers in the elements. Will you help us stock up?

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/32ZR797EAWDG/ref=hz_ls_biz_ex

01/27/2022

#TBT to the good old days at our 2019 Christmas Karaoke Party! The Contributor provides a source of income and connections to housing, but we also just try to be fun!

01/25/2022

"It was an opportunity for rediscovery" – what street papers are in the words of those who sell them • INSP

“...This is my job, this is my business: I enjoy doing it and, if it wasn’t for this, I have no idea what I’d be doing..."

Keith is featured in an INSP story where international vendors share what the street paper means to them.

https://insp.ngo/it-was-an-opportunity-for-rediscovery-what-street-papers-are-in-the-words-of-those-who-sell-them/

Everyone who is a part of the global street paper network knows what a street paper is – that extends to the staff that put each publication together and those who buy them. But the people who truly know what a street paper is – what it means – are those who sell them. Here, a collection of st...

01/24/2022

The Contributor: Jan. 19, 2022

Tonight is Music City Monday at Belcourt Theatre! Check out our film critic's review.

https://issuu.com/the-contributor-live/docs/01.19.2022-digital/23

The Contributor helps our homeless neighbors establish their own micro-businesses and work their way into housing through selling an award winning street paper. Vendors earn immediate income, establish meaningful relationships, regain their dignity, and become Contributors to the community.

01/21/2022

VENDOR SPOTLIGHT - Issuu

“I got a lot of good support. I wouldn’t trade West End for nothing in the world.” Pick up a copy from Charles and read his story inside!

https://issuu.com/the-contributor-live/docs/01.19.2022-digital/s/14586702

Charles S. is just waiting for someone to challenge him to a game of pool. If you did, he’d bring his own cue, and he’d probably win. He used to enter competitions and earn money playing pool, and these days he stays brushed up on his skills just for fun.

01/19/2022

In this issue, CMA Artist of the Year Jimmie Allen graces our cover, and talks to us about giving back and his own bout with housing insecurity. Pick up a copy from a vendor today!

01/17/2022

The Contributor: Jan. 5, 2022

Here are 10 ways to give back to your community, pulled from our latest issue. It's a great way to start the year!

Greater Nashville Regional Council, Open Table Nashville, Inc., Senior Ride Nashville, Nashville Cat Rescue, TnAchieves, Hands On Nashville and more are mentioned!

The Contributor helps our homeless neighbors establish their own micro-businesses and work their way into housing through selling an award winning street paper. Vendors earn immediate income, establish meaningful relationships, regain their dignity, and become Contributors to the community.

01/14/2022

Q&A - Issuu

Want to know the most direct way to end homelessness? It's housing!

The Low Barrier Housing Collective looks to incentivize landlords to help those climbing out of homelessness. Read more:

Finding landlords to work with people transitioning out of homelessness

01/12/2022

Kenneth is selling papers after years in ministry — read his story in the latest issue of The Contributor!
https://issuu.com/the-contributor-live/docs/01.05.2022-digital/s/14461369

01/11/2022

A lot of you enjoyed reading Carl's story last year. Now he's in his own apartment!

Here's something he wrote in the latest issue of The Contributor.
https://issuu.com/the-contributor-live/docs/01.05.2022-digital/7

01/10/2022

Have you gotten a copy of the latest issue yet? We kick off 2022 with a list of 10 ways to help your city.

12/29/2021

How do y'all like our new merch? We added a new slogan, coordinating front and back. You can order your own Contributor long sleeve on our website! thecontributor.org