The Street Fairy

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San Diego, CA
The Street Fairy

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The Street Fairy publisher of StreetLights, a Phoenix Street Paper - community newspaper covering topics surrounding homelessness, recovery, local government written by peers to create no-barrier business opportunity and empowerment for Phoenix homeless

Address

San Diego, CA

Telephone

(619) 535-6749

Website

http://www.TheStreetFairy.com/

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Do What You Can|With What You Have|Where You Are|Right Now

Way, way back in October of 2019, I got a fortune cookie that said my now favorite quote, sometimes tied to Theodore Roosevelt that simply states “Do what you can, with what you have, right where you are, right now.” I started forming the concept of a Street Paper for Phoenix to end homelessness that night. Within a month I would have a domain name I purchased for $1.00 and then website hosting that was another $1 for 12 months.

I also recruited a co-founder through an ad I ran to find a photographer craigslist who could take photos of street people in the Phoenix Area. I wanted the website to use original, relevant, and local images to match the integrity of the paper itself. I wanted to represent the real struggles that are suffered out there, as well as the success stories I had been dreaming of publishing since I became homeless a few year ago.

By the end of December, I had a blog with local, national and international articles and content regarding homelessness, poverty, recovery, street vendors and more. I was raising funds to print our first issue by the end of January. Although we didn’t meet our goal before that self - imposed deadline, we did print the first issue. We printed a sample size version on the home printer and distributed about 300 copies to local community members, businesses, behavioral health workers, community resources, case managers, homeless people, peers and anyone who would take one for free.

The other half of the business and the catalyst to end homelessness, is the distribution of the street paper exclusively by homeless people in the Phoenix area. We offer a no-barrier entry into our Street Vendor program where they sell the papers to the public on local street corners or in partnerships with local businesses.

Approved Street Vendors get the first ten papers for free every day and they can purchase additional papers for 50 cents. The vendors collect the suggested donation of $2, keeping the $1.50 for themselves. When they reach the goal of 100 papers a day, they will be earning a minimum of $150 which can cover a hotel room, food and still save for sustainable housing of their own. This is how we intend to achieve our mission of ending homelessness in our community, One Vendor | One Paper at a time.

One of the very few requirements is that vendors work with the approval of a business they are selling in front of. They will do this by building a relationship with management themselves. This can be accomplished by showing up to a designated spot, on a regular basis, displaying good work ethics and behaving with respect for others and themselves. The number one requirement is that they are not actively using drugs or drinking alcohol when they are representing the organization. They also must agree to live crime free while they are working with us.

Any violation of our terms can result in a drop from the program for an appropriate amount of time, but always with a path to regain their position. We understand that everyone’s recovery path is their own, relapse and pitfalls are only learning opportunities or as we like to call them “growth spurts.” We try to meet our peers where ever they are at on that path and hold hope for them to successfully return to a valued role in society.

We always want our peers to feel worthy and valuable just as they are. It is our mission to empower our Vendors to make healthy choices, build healthy relationships in the community and to enjoy the self-confidence and other benefits of being self-sufficient. By complying with our program, showing up when they say they will and displaying good choices, they will build self-esteem and rebuild their view of themselves. Once this obstacle is challenged change begins to happen.

There are over 40 other cities in the USA with a street paper, some with 30+ years of success. Street papers operate in 35 cities around the globe and empower over 9,000 street vendors to end homelessness. Now, this successful business model is in Phoenix, AZ. WooHoo!!